


Wanderlust and Consequences part 2

by BettyHT



Series: Wanderlust and Consequences [2]
Category: Bonanza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 07:28:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 38,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15747099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BettyHT/pseuds/BettyHT
Summary: This is part 2 of the story that starts as a prequel with Ben and Inger and young Adam and continues through Ben's marriage to Marie before skipping ahead sixteen years when Adam and Hop Sing travel to follow quests before returning.  There will be a character who returns to the family too and brings changes especially to Ben's life.  There are romances, marriages, children, adventure, drama, and a host of other things that happen in this novel length story posted in three parts because of restrictions on posting on this site.





	Wanderlust and Consequences part 2

Chapter 14

On O'ahu, Adam was saying goodbye to Alamea. He had spent almost a month with her, but the winds had shifted, the skies had cleared, and ships coming in from the west reported that the typhoons had ended. He kissed her and said he would be back as soon as he could. They had made love that morning very gently and softly. She kissed him knowing that she was probably carrying his child, but not willing to tell him that yet. As she watched him walk away, she prayed for enough time to have this baby, but her fingertips and toes were already numb and she often had to suppress a cough. She feared she would not live long enough to give life to this child. As Adam's ship cleared the harbor and headed for the open sea, he had a sense of foreboding that would not go away. He was thinking it was his anxiety about the weather, but in truth, he worried about Alamea. She had not seemed well that morning, and he could only hope it wasn't anything serious.

The miles of ocean between the Sandwich Islands and China had seemed daunting but with favorable winds and no storms, Adam's ship pulled into Hong Kong harbor well ahead of their schedule. Then he needed to get Hop Sing out of his cabin out on the docks where they could conduct business. It took a few days, but Hop Sing finally mastered the art of looking like he was in charge and when Adam looked to him as if for directions, he would simply nod his head, and Adam would return to the business he was conducting as if he had just received permission to do so. Contact was made with Hop Sing's relatives and the woman he was to marry was on her way to the port. Gifts were sent to the emperor, but Adam and Hop Sing never ventured much further than the docks. The ship's captain had warned them that the government could be paranoid about possible treason with foreigners traveling within the country especially after all of their difficulties with the British. As long as business was conducted in Hong Kong, they were not likely to have problems.

Food was purchased from junks that filled the harbor each day hawking just about everything imaginable including women for sale. Adam was surprised that the trade in human beings was so openly pursued when it was illegal. The ship's captain said a lot was accomplished here with bribery, and that they should be prepared for such a request because it was unlikely they would leave port without at least one attempt to get more money from them whether by soliciting bribes or by outright extortion. When it happened, it was the latter.

"You pay. Woman is delivered. You no pay. Woman is sold."

"How much?"

"One million American dollars."

Almost laughing at the absurdity of it, Adam had a counteroffer. "Ten American dollars."

The man who stood on the dock looked quite angry at that. "You cannot make fun or the woman will be sold."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were joking with what you said. Surely you can see that with all we own, we do not have even a small fraction of one million dollars. You have believed the stories of Gold Mountain, but I must tell you that if it was true as people claim, why would we work like this and take such risks to make only a few dollars? We can pay one hundred dollars and no more."

"One thousand or the woman will be sold to another."

Looking back to the captain and to Hop Sing, Adam waited to see their reaction. He didn't know how serious the other side was about what they said they would do, and did not know how much he could offer to keep these negotiations going until they reached a satisfactory conclusion. The captain surreptitiously held five fingers against his pant leg. Adam nodded.

"We can offer two hundred fifty and no more. We still need some money to buy provisions."

"Five hundred and that is last offer."

Turning again as if to receive instructions, Adam got a nod from Hop Sing who had seen the exchange between the captain and Adam. "Five hundred it is then. We will need some time to get that money. We have not yet sold all of our cargo. Will evening today be suitable?"

"Of course. Be here with the money, and the woman will be delivered."

Amazingly to Adam and Hop Sing, the transfer of the money for the bride went smoothly. The captain was not surprised. "If they didn't deal honorably with you after you made an agreement, it would be that much harder to get deals from other merchants and captains. So they do the best they can, and of course pocket money for which they have done no work. They are pleased with themselves, and you get what you wanted the most."

"We have that much money to pay them and could have paid more. Thank you for letting me know how much to pay. I don't want to pay exorbitantly and be targeted by every extortionist in the port."

"You're welcome. Now let's start selling and buying up cargo looking like we're trying to get that money together."

Taking their cue from the captain, Adam and Hop Sing began the final buying and selling that would get them the profit and the cargo they needed to head home. Late in the afternoon, a closed rickshaw approached the ship. The same man walked to the gangplank and Adam went down to meet him. He handed over the cash and then walked with the man to the vehicle. Hop Sing stood at the ship's rail waiting for a look at his bride. She was older than he expected, and three young men followed her to the ship. Adam wondered at that, but waited for them all to get on board before asking what was going on.

"My husband was beheaded by the government. They took all of our property. I need a husband and a father for my sons. Hop Sing's family said that he had property but needed a wife and sons. They arranged for us to be married. I and my sons are willing to travel to America to live with Hop Sing although my sons hope to seek their own fortunes there."

"You speak quite well."

"I was educated as was my family. We were important, but now we have been dishonored. There is no future here for any of us."

Looking to the captain for advice, Adam received none when the captain shrugged his shoulders. This was out of the realm of his experiences in China, but he thought she sounded genuine, and the story did make sense. Adam had the same feeling, and welcomed the family aboard and then introduced Hop Sing. The woman began speaking in Chinese and soon all five of them were chatting amiably and had apparently already come to some understanding. Adam looked at the captain.

"Pull up the gangplank when you're ready, Captain. Our business here is concluded."

The next morning the ship pulled out. As they sailed away, the captain performed a shipboard wedding and the proper papers were signed. The captain recommended a few stops further south to get more valuable items, and there was time and good weather to do it. After three more weeks, the ship was full of valuable cargo and began the return voyage. That's when trouble struck again. The heavily laden ship was not as maneuverable as it had been. When the weather started to get rougher, the captain suggested they head for Guam to ride out the bad weather, but it was too late and they were caught in a typhoon. The ship creaked and rocked and took on water. Adam lay in his cabin one evening worried that he would never see Alamea again. He didn't know how prophetic those thoughts were. After three days of fighting wind and waves, the weather took a slightly better turn. The captain estimated that they were hundreds of miles off course and badly in need of repairs.

"Well, Captain, where to?"

"By my calculations, our best bet are the Gilbert Islands. We can rest there, get provisions, and repair the ship. It will take longer because we'll have to work the timbers ourselves to get the right fits, and sew up the canvas that's torn instead of replacing it, but it can be done."

"Well that will give Hop Sing time with Ah Cy and her sons to prepare them for the immigration officials."

"If they're married, how can immigration officials object?" "California has gotten very paranoid about Chinese people entering. They will grill them to see how much they know about each other. They need to agree on answers to everything and then study until each of them gives the same or similar answers to every question that could be posed."

"How picky can they get?"

"People have even been asked how many steps there are in their father's home. Hop Sing is very familiar with my family's home and his. In addition, I drew some sketches of the interior and exterior of the house and property. There will also be questions about the community, but those are usually much more general."

"If you liked the Sandwich Islands, then you'll love the Gilberts. I've only been here once before but it was a little paradise. It doesn't have the land that the Islands do so the merchants and planters haven't descended here like they have on O'ahu. This is still an unspoiled paradise."

Sailing to the Gilberts took a few more days especially because of the weakened condition of the ship. Once they got to the Kirabati Archipelago, the ship dropped anchor in a lagoon. Most of those on board had never been there and were almost speechless with the beauty they saw before them. The water looked shallow because it was so clear, and Adam was anxious to get in the water to swim and see all the fish and sea life on display. The captain sent some men ashore to scout for trees large enough to be felled and trimmed to what they needed. Then bargaining started with the natives for the wood as well as for food and fresh water.

Once the work crews were busy, Adam asked the Captain to provide a boat to take him and Hop Sing with his new family ashore. Once there, the group split up. Adam looked for a secluded place to swim which he soon found, and spent the afternoon in peaceful solitude. He dreamed of a life with Alamea and wondered if she would be happier living someplace like this rather than in a cold dry Nevada. He thought they would have a long time to learn about each other and make those decisions. The next day he went to the same location with his sketchbook. He did some swimming and some drawing and sketching. The fish were amazing. There were brilliant yellow and blue tangs, striped triggerfish, and angelfish as well as many more fish with bright stripes and colors. For a short time he was entertained but all the beauty around him. He loved to swim over the atolls and watch the dramas play out as triggerfish would become aggressive and yellow damselfish, and pale blue damselfish as well as larger striped damselfish would scurry to find holes in the coral in which to hide. The speed of the flight to safety was amazing to him. He loved the colorful patterns of the triggerfish the most and the graceful swimming of the angelfish. The larger fish of these coral atolls also provided many meals as well as considerable entertainment for the crew and passengers of Adam's ship.

The Captain's estimate of two weeks turned into a month before the ship was ready and the weather was favorable. By then, even though they would miss this paradise, the group was ready to sail on. Adam especially was getting antsy with the long delay, and no one was happier than he when the ship was ready to go except maybe the Captain who had to endure more than anyone the complaints of his owner at the long delay. For Adam, swimming and fishing lost their appeal long before the ship was ready. He had another book of sketches and had started to use watercolors for the fish that were so colorful that the pen and ink or charcoal drawings just were not sufficient to record them. Adam also had quite a collection of pearls by this time and in many colors. He had some loose and some that were already strung. He packed those treasures away with all the other things he had been collecting and would bring home with him or gift to his wife for he considered Alamea his wife after the vows they had spoken to each other. He carefully packed the shark tooth sword he planned to gift to Joe and the shark tooth trident for fishing that he was planning as a gift for Hoss.

There were no more delays and the sailing to Hawaii was direct and on schedule. Hop Sing and his wife Ah Cy were becoming comfortable with each other. Both had been able to talk of their lives and come to an understanding of what the future would be for them. The sons were another matter entirely. Adam had asked the Captain what he thought of the young men, and he said they were hard to read. The three brothers were relatively quiet and Adam began to wonder about them. They certainly did not resemble their mother in any way. He finally mentioned that to Hop Sing.

"Hop Sing, have you wondered at your step-sons? They resemble each other about as much as my brothers and I resemble each other, but they all had the same mother and the same father supposedly. Any idea why they look so different from one another?"

"Mister Adam, two paper sons and one son of mother."

"What is the relation of the paper sons?"

"Nephews. One from each sister. They loyal to their family and wish to make money to help take care of family. Must go America."

"You accept that?"

"Yes, it necessary for family. I do."

"Well, as long as you are good with it. Once we are in San Francisco though, I have a few ideas about the son who is actually Ah Cy's son and now yours."

"Yes, Mister Adam. I will listen to your ideas. Now I must go and help teach my sons and wife. There is still much to learn about the Ponderosa."

"You have about another month. I hope it's enough time."

A week later under powder blue skies, Adam's ship sailed into harbor near Honolulu. Diamond Head showed clearly in the distance. There were some items that they could sell there, and then take on products there to sell in San Francisco with the rest of their cargo. Adam handled those transactions as rapidly as he could and that was helped because now he was known here and already had a good reputation as a fair trader. As soon as he was able to get away, he headed to Alamea's home. When he got there, the home was obviously deserted and already falling into some disrepair. Adam stood in the main room looking around and could see no evidence of what had happened and where she had gone. His heart and mind felt numb.

Walking around her house, Adam could see that there was no sign of violence. There was no damage and no disarray, but there were no signs that anyone had been there lately. All of her personal possessions were gone. He walked outside and found the same. There was nothing left of her there, no evidence of any struggle, and no signs that anyone had been anywhere near the house recently. For months and months, he had dreamed of her every night. He took out his sketches of her often and pictured her walking beside him, laughing as she ran on the beach, or sleeping peacefully at his side. Now he wondered if it had all been an elaborate fantasy that could not be real. She had said she loved him and wanted to have his child. He worried then that there had been a problem. Wondering where he could go to find information, he turned to leave and was startled by a tall man in a white frock standing behind him.

"She said you would come back. She was so sure of it. I had my doubts because so many men make those kinds of promises and never return, but she said your love was genuine and that you had pledged yourself to her in God's name."

"Where is she? Where is Alamea? How is she?"

"The news I have is not all bad, but there is much that is awful that I must tell you. Sit, and I will tell you the story." Once Adam sat down on one of the stools just outside her home where they had often sat and talked or sang, the priest began the story. "Alamea suspected that she was infected with leprosy even before she met you. She was desperate to have a child so that her family would not perish from this earth. She said though that you were more than that. She said that she fell in love with you, and that you loved her. Seeing you now, I believe that."

"But where is she? She cannot be that sick. It was only eight months ago when I left, and she was not ill."

"Leprosy is a disease which we do not at all understand. I have been exposed to it repeatedly in my work, and I have not contracted the disease. Some get it in a mild form and some get it and then are cured but we have no idea how that happens. Others get it and it progresses rapidly and once it affects the lungs, it seems the patient is near the end. Alamea has a cough. Once she was with child, that became much worse and the disease progressed extremely rapidly. We have seen that before too. Women who do not even know they have the disease become extremely ill when they are with child and even after the child is born, they continue to deteriorate rapidly."

"You're still not telling me where she is."

"She is where the law requires her to be. She is with her mother and brother in Kalaupapa on Molokai, but where they have had the disease for years, and will likely live for many more. Alamea is near death."

"I want to see her. Please, please take me to her. She is my wife, before God, she is my wife."

"She does not wish to see you. It would put you at great risk for no one can legally visit Molokai except for the priests and healers. No one can leave Molokai except for the priests who visit there to give sacraments to the sick and dying."

"I'll get there somehow."

"I have told you that she does not wish to see you. She is disfigured and in great pain. She finds talking difficult because it makes her cough. Her time on this earth is short."

"You said she was with child. She is having my child. What of our child?"

"Your child was born already. He is quite small, but amazingly does not show signs of the disease. When I heard of your return, I came to see you to see what you wish in regards to your son."

"Where is he? I want to see my son. I can see my son, can't I?"

"He has been smuggled out of Molokai. The Kaiwi Channel is treacherous, but she had good friends here who wanted to help, and apparently you impressed them too when you were here. I have placed him with a wet nurse here. He is too small and fragile to travel at this point, but the wet nurse assures me that he is growing bigger and stronger every day. Perhaps because he is three-fourths white, he will not get the disease. Alamea saw her son but never nursed him nor held him once he was born. He has not been held by anyone infected. She did what she could to keep him safe. It is her wish that you take your son with you to your home and away from here so that he may continue to be safe. Now if you do not wish to do that, your son carries royal blood and the royal family will see to his care."

Almost in a whisper because his mind and body had lost all their strength and energy with the emotional blows he had received, Adam made one request. "Please, I want to see my son."

"Will you take him with you to your home?"

"I don't know if I can answer that now. There is so much, so much that you have told me. I don't know what I will do."

"I understand, but I do want to be able to tell Alamea what you will do before she passes, and it could be days that she has left. Come with me now, and I will take you to your son."

The two men walked a short distance to where a carriage waited. The priest told Adam to get inside, and then he climbed in behind him. He kept the curtains closed so that Adam would not be able to retrace this route. After about an hour, the carriage stopped. Adam had not spoken for the entire trip. He was emotionally drained. Once he stepped out of the carriage, he realized they were on the other side of O'ahu by the position of the sun. There was a small white cottage, and the priest began walking in that direction. He called out a name as he neared the cottage, and a woman stepped outside of the cottage. She smiled to see them and silently led them inside. There in a cradle lay a dark haired baby. Adam looked at him and then at the priest who nodded.

"May I hold my son?"

The woman carefully lifted the baby and placed him in Adam's arms. The baby began to cry, and the wet nurse showed Adam how to cradle the baby into the warmth of his chest where the infant could feel his heart beat. As he held his son and whispered softly to him, the baby quieted and looked wide-eyed at Adam.

"He is afraid, but he feels your warmth and heartbeat and is soothed."

"What is his name?"

"Keilani Adam Cartwright. It is the name that Alamea chose for him. Keilani is a traditional name in her family. She wanted her son to have it and his father's name."

"When can he travel?" That question brought smiles to the wet nurse and the priest. Adam had accepted his son and would take him to his home.

The last sight Hop Sing had of the Sandwich Islands was seeing Adam Cartwright standing on the dock holding his son and waving as the ship pulled away. Adam was going to stay until his son was strong enough to travel. He had taken only a minimum of his possessions from the ship and asked that the rest be shipped to his home. The Captain and Hop Sing were to handle the sale of the cargo in San Francisco with the help of Hop Sing's new son, Chou. Hop Sing carried a long letter to Ben Cartwright from his eldest son but was told not to deliver it unless Adam did not return in five months as he planned.

The trip to San Francisco was uneventful, and amazingly the officials did little to impede the admission into the country of Hop Sing, his wife, and sons. Apparently the successful completion of the voyage and the sale of the cargo had convinced the authorities that the entry was legal. Chou stayed in San Francisco to assist the Captain in purchasing the list of cargo that Adam had suggested. The two paper sons headed to the Central Pacific Railroad to sign on as laborers so that they could begin sending money home to their families.

Once the cargo was purchased and on board, Hop Sing and Ah Cy bought tickets to ride by train to Virginia City. Hop Sing was anxious to get home, and hoped the Cartwrights would be accepting of his wife.

Adam's ship had a new name. It was the Kailani after Alamea's family name, and Adam had negotiated contracts for trade between the Sandwich Islands and San Francisco. The Captain got his ten per cent ownership and approved of the route. The risks were much less than the trip they had recently completed, and the profits would be realized far more often even if they were less than what a voyage to China could bring. The crew agreed to stay because for most of them, this was the best job on a ship that they had ever had. Chou would be a merchant in training, and if he did well, he would become an agent for Adam.

Chapter 15

On the Ponderosa, Hannibal and his wife had settled in well. They were able to do the laundry as well with two of them working. Mabel discovered that the curtains in the house were the same age approximately as Joe, and decided that she could do something about that. She bought fabric samples from Aaron Kaufman when he came by in his peddler's wagon. The following week she had the choices that Ben, Hoss, and Joe had made for their rooms. Adam's room was more difficult because no one was sure what he might like and even if he would be back. She got to work on the other rooms though and spent her evenings relaxing in a rocking chair in the kitchen as her husband baked bread and other goods for the next day.

Meals were wonderful although the style of cooking had definitely changed. There were more fried dishes like fried fish and chicken fried steak as well as more varieties of biscuits and breads. Some things that the family had enjoyed the most were still part of the menu as pies and preserves were often served. Hoss gave his stamp of approval to the hire. With the fall drive coming up, the decision was that Hannibal would go with the drive to cook, and Mabel would stay on the ranch to cook for the smaller number left behind.

On a Friday night, Hoss broached a subject that he had talked over with his father and brother.

"Why don't you folks ever go to town? There's dances and church services and shopping to do for the ranch yet you don't do none of that."

"Hoss, did Adam explain our background before he left?"

"Well, he said you was married in Wisconsin and that you was originally from Louisiana. Is there anything else important to know? You two ain't bank robbers on the run now are ya?" Hoss chuckled but at the serious expressions he was getting, he stopped. "There is something important you ought to tell us, ain't there?"

"Yes, Hoss, you see, we left Louisiana because it was illegal for me to marry Mabel there. People in Wisconsin are a bit more liberal on things like that and that's why we moved to there to get married, but we still couldn't find acceptance. Hoss, I'm a black man."

"Oh, now, you're just joshing me. Heck my brother Adam is darker than you and he's white. So that's just silly."

"No, Hoss, in Louisiana, there is the one drop rule. One drop of black blood in you and you're black. Any parent who is black and you are black. One of my great-grandmothers was black. It didn't seem to matter much back then, but now people are getting more and more concerned about things like that. My birth certificate says I'm black. Laws in Louisiana say that a black cannot marry a white. That's why we left. The miscegenation laws would have had Mabel in prison and I could have been executed."

During the conversation, Joe had walked in. "That can't be right. I saw a lot of people in New Orleans who were part black and they married whites."

"Or did you see people who looked white like me because we're mostly white but legally we're still black?"

Joe had no answer for that.

"We almost had a job in Virginia City but some people from Louisiana are here and one of the men recognized me. He told all the others that a black man had married a white woman. They were roughing us up some when your brother Adam stopped them. He brought us out here. We have had more peace in the weeks we've been here than we have ever had, but do you understand now why we don't want to go to town?"

"I understand it, but it just ain't right. Now Joe and I are going to town tonight, and I'd like you to come with us. We'll have dinner together and do a little shopping. Then you can head back here if you want, or you can stay and come to the dance with us. What d'ya say to that?"

"Well, Mabel if gonna have that baby. I don't want to put her in any danger."

"Hannibal, don't use me as an excuse. We should go to town with these two gentlemen and have a nice night. Once that baby comes, we won't get many opportunities to do anything for quite a while."

"All right, then, Hoss, we'll go. Thank you, sir, thank you."

"Now don't be calling me sir or I might just have to take that invitation back. You're my friend, and friends don't call one another 'sir' now do they?"

"Thank you, Hoss. We would be honored to have dinner with you."

So Hoss and Joe treated Hannibal and Mabel to lunch in town. Ben joined them and the five of them had a good dinner with good conversation. Doctor Martin and Roy Coffee stopped by to be introduced as did the minister and his wife who invited the couple to church services. Hannibal thought he needed to be honest with the minister.

"No need to explain, Mr. Jefferson. I have heard the stories. In my church, believing in God is the only thing that matters. You come to church services, and if anyone has a problem with that, then they do not belong in a Christian church. I hope to see you on Sunday. Goodnight now, we need to get home to be sure our three boys have left the house standing after the time we've been gone." Tipping his hat, the minister took his leave. His wife smiled at the couple before leaving and said goodnight to everyone by name.

The minister's statement had been said loud enough to be heard by everyone in the restaurant. There might be some grumbling, but no one would now dare say a word to contradict the minister. Ben smiled at how clever their young minister was. He would go far with his skill, and Ben expected there would likely be a sermon on Sunday with many Bible references to reinforce the lesson he had just taught here tonight.

Continuing to smile, Ben thought it was time to announce his surprise for the couple. "We're building an extra room onto our bunkhouse. Candy is going to be moving in there. That leaves his room empty and we thought the two of you would like it. It has room for a larger bed, a table, and storage. Once that baby arrives, you're going to need more room. So what do you think?"

"Mr. Cartwright, that's real nice and all but it seems to be a big expense for us cause we're only hired on until your regular cook gets back."

Hoss interceded then. "Well, see, we got another question for ya. Once Hop Sing gets back, will ya stay on? We still need a cook on drives, and Hop Sing can't ever keep up with the laundry. Heck Hop Sing likes a day off now and then, and you could still do the baking in the evening. He never done that. Plus Missus Mabel here done sews real well, and heck, we thought maybe you could stay on."

Looking at Hannibal, Mabel had tears in her eyes. "Oh, Hannibal, it could be a home. It would be the first real home the two of us have ever had. We would have a place for our child to grow up with people who won't judge him by his ancestors. Oh, Hannibal, please say yes."

When Hannibal agreed, Ben thought that he would take them to the mercantile to purchase some items for their room. Once that was done, he headed home in the carriage with the Jeffersons because Mabel was feeling tired by then.

"We can always attend a dance, but this is our only child coming along, so we'd just as soon go home now ifn you don't mind none."

The next morning, there were flapjacks and eggs and ham for breakfast. Hoss was loving it. Then he and his father talked about cattle contracts they needed to get.

"Hoss, I know you've never done this before because Adam always made first contact with new buyers, but we have a ranch in Texas that wants some of our stock for crossbreeding. It's a big ranch, and the price they're offering is very attractive. Would you be willing to go down there and try to get us that contract?"

With a deep sigh and then blowing the air out with puffed cheeks, Hoss nodded. "I'll do it, Pa, but don't go getting your hopes up too high. It was Adam who done all them deals like this. Ain't none of the rest of it done it for years. I'll do my best though. Wish Adam was still here to do these things. Wonder why we ain't heard nothing from him yet. Makes a body worry."

"I'm sure he's fine, Hoss. It's difficult to get letters across the Pacific. I expect we'll be hearing something from him any day now."

"I sure hope so, Pa, I sure hope so."

Earlier, Joe and Candy had gone to town to get supplies to finish building the new room on the bunkhouse. As they returned, Joe jumped from the wagon before it stopped rolling and ran into the house slamming the front door in his haste. Ben was going to admonish his youngest son but never got the chance.

"Pa, pa, it's a letter from Adam. Pa, there's a crate too. Read the letter, Pa, read it, and then we can go get the crate and open it. C'mon, Pa, read it."

Starting to read silently, Ben was immediately harangued by both of his sons to read aloud. He laughed and then read of the storms the ship had encountered but that they had sustained only light damage. He read how Hop Sing spends much of his time in his cabin, and that they were going to stay in the Sandwich Islands only about a week or so but the ship's captain was worried about typhoons. No ships from China had sailed into the Islands in weeks and apparently that is a very bad sign. Many ships were waiting in the large harbor to see what the weather would bring. He has seen volcanoes, black sand beaches, whales breaching, and had pork from a pig that was roasted under the sand. He read where Adam said the cargo they sold in Honolulu brought them a nice profit, but they were hoping that in China and then back in California, there would be a lot more.

Once Ben finished reading the letter, Hoss and Joe rushed outside for the crate. Ben had to smile for his adult sons were like small boys sometimes. Hoss carried the crate in and set it on the coffee table in front of the fireplace. Once they got it open, they found the jar of black sand and Adam's note about the black sand beaches and how they were formed. He had enclosed the shards of lava he had broken off. There were bolts of Hawaiian cloth that he explained were really wraps for men and women who were to be married. There was a sketch book and when they opened it, they found drawings of volcanoes, a hill Adam called Diamond Head, whales breaching, people at what he called a luau in the note at the bottom, and then several pages of a beautiful woman posed several ways with traditional wraps about her that did little to disguise a shapely woman.

"Oh, boy, Adam's found a woman. Ain't she pretty, Pa? Ain't she a beauty, Hoss?"

"Joseph, we don't know that Adam has a relationship with this woman. He drew pictures of whales, volcanoes, and other people as well."

"Yeah, but, Pa, there's a bunch of drawings of her and only one each for the others."

"Well, Adam said nothing in his letter. I'm sure if he gets serious about a woman, he'll tell us."

"Maybe, but you know how he likes to keep things to himself till he has it all worked out. Hey, Hoss, maybe we should start decorating his room with this stuff. Hey, Pa, is there anything else in there. Seems like there should be more with the size of that crate."

Digging deeper, Ben found three carved boxes on the bottom of the chest. Inside of each was a note designating each box for one of them. Once they got the three boxes sorted out, they admired the intricate carving of each one. Joe especially liked his with the carving of women dancing on the beach covered in wraps and flowers. Nothing immodest could be seen, but Joe's imagination was at work. Hoss' had carvings of whales with calves, and Ben's was of a volcano erupting. They were all hand rubbed to smoothness and a dark sheen. Ben knew they must be expensive and let his sons know that. Soon he expected, Adam might be sending them some things to put inside their boxes.

Hoss was unnaturally quiet, and when Ben asked, he said his mind was on the trip to Texas and what he had to do there. Then he excused himself to go get some work done. Joe just looked at Ben wondering if he had any idea why Hoss was acting so unusually. Ben shrugged. He had noticed it too, but had no idea what Hoss was thinking or feeling that was making him so much more quiet than usual. Joe followed him outside thinking he would try to find out. He walked in the stable and found Hoss talking with Sport.

"I wish I could tell him. I took too long to accept him leaving and he doesn't know I understand why he had to go, and I just want him to know how much I want him to come back home here."

"He knows."

"Joe, it ain't polite to eavesdrop."

"Well, I wasn't thinking it was too much of a problem cause you're talking to Sport. But Hoss what I wanted to say was that Adam understands. We talked a lot that last night I was in San Francisco. Yeah, he wanted you and Pa to give him your blessing before he left so you could all talk about it, but he knew you'd come around. He said as much."

"Really. What'd he say?"

"He said he knew you two were thinking about his safety and his happiness, and you would understand that if he got to go, he would be happier and he'd be back. Hoss, Adam does really plan to come back here just like he said. You can tell how excited he is about all that stuff he's already seen."

"But is he gonna stay when he comes back?"

"Well, mostly, yeah."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He said that if he didn't find himself a wife pretty soon, he wanted to take some time to travel to Europe too. But he'll always come back. That's the key. He's got a wanderlust that we don't have, but he also wants a wife and a family. He feels time is passing him by in that regard."

"How come he told you so much? He don't talk much ever about all that kind of stuff."

"Well, I insisted on buying a few rounds and you know he talks more if he gets a few drinks to loosen his tongue. I think that's why he don't drink much. He doesn't like that he loosens up when he drinks."

"Yeah, he can get pretty funny too when he drinks. I kinda like him better some times when he's drinking. Boy, though, never make him mad when he's been drinking. He can get pretty mean too and say some nasty things."

"Maybe that's the real reason he don't drink much. Hey what did you think of those pictures of that woman?"

"Joe, I had the same idea you did. He didn't just draw that many pictures of just any woman. She means a lot to him, and you might be right. He might have found a woman to love. I'd be happy for him if it's true."

"Me too. But I told him to bring one of those women home for me, and it looks like he's bringing one home for himself instead." Chuckling, Joe turned to leave.

"Hey, Joe. Thanks. I'm leaving for Texas tomorrow. You take good care of Pa while I'm gone now."

Joe nodded and walked out. Hoss leaned back against the side of the stall and thought about what he had to do. He wasn't experienced in negotiating contracts but had been there frequently when Adam did it. He tried to remember details then about how Adam had accomplished those successful deals and tried to remember the advice his older brother had given him in the discussions they had had while on cattle drives and buying trips. He would have to work it out for himself, but it helped him to think about these things as he prepared himself for his trip and the task his father had set for him.

The next morning, Hoss and Joe rode to town. Hoss was taking the stage and Joe would bring Chubb back to the ranch after Hoss was on his way. Joe could tell that Hoss was nervous so he did his best to tell him he would do fine and that whatever contract he brought home would be a good one. Hoss thanked Joe before climbing aboard the stage with his butterflies intact but at least not as active as they had been. Joe gathered up Chubb's reins and headed for home.

For Hoss the trip seemed to take forever. When he finally climbed out of the stage in Texas, and knew he wouldn't have to climb back in one for a week, he was greatly relieved. He checked in at his hotel, got a bath, and settled in at the only restaurant in town for a decent dinner. Those beans and flatbread meals from the stage line had lost their appeal within a short time. He ordered a steak. He wasn't done eating when he saw a tall man enter the restaurant flanked by two beautiful women. Hoss remembered that Adam had said the first thing they try to do is to distract you. Well they were doing a mighty fine job of that without really trying for by the description he had been given, this was the man with whom he was to negotiate.

"Mr. Hoss Cartwright, I presume. I'm Charles Niven. These are my daughters, Ivy and Desert Rose. We don't get into town that often so I took the liberty of bringing my daughters with me so that we could enjoy a fine meal together, but I see you have already been served."

"Aw, this is just a snack. I been starved for five days. I'm ready for a big meal."

"Well, if you don't mind, then, may we join you? We'll order up some of the specialties of the house, and we can talk and get to know one another tonight."

By the end of the evening, Hoss was invited to spend the week with the Nivens at their ranch. He knew Joe would be so jealous when he told him about the lovely ladies here, but for now, he had them all to himself. They gave him a ride in their carriage after he picked up his valise at the hotel. He slept in a big bed with a feather mattress that night and dreamed of beautiful women with dark hair. When he awoke in the morning and recalled his dreams, he recalled too the pictures that Adam had drawn of a dark haired woman in the Sandwich Islands. He sensed somehow that Adam was in love but had an eerie foreboding too which he attempted to throw off, but it would nag at him for the next year until he saw his brother again.

The next morning, Hoss woke up refreshed and ready to go. He shaved and dressed and headed down the stairs finding that no one seemed to be awake, he decided to walk around outside to get to know the place. A dog ran up to him as soon as he was outside and rubbed his head against Hoss' leg so Hoss scratched the dog's head. The two of them started walking. They got to the corral next to the stable and several horses came over. Hoss rubbed their cheeks and they snorted at him and then lowered their heads so he could do it more. Hoss was feeling very relaxed until he heard an ominous sound.

"Just stand real still. Back up slowly one step at a time."

Hoss did as he was told because Ivy stood there with a rifle in hand and it looked like she knew what she was doing. The dog growled at her which caused her to frown. Then the dog walked over and rubbed his head against Hoss' leg once more so Hoss obliged him once again. Ivy lowered the rifle as her mouth dropped open.

"Oh my God. I have never seen anything like it. Brutus should have torn you limb from limb. It's what he's been trained to do. Oh, I'm sorry about how that sounded. It's not like I wanted him to do that. Of course I think you just ruined the best watch dog we ever had."

"Well, ma'am, I didn't do nothing except to pet him and scratch his head when he come running up to me."

"C'mon, you must have fed him some steak or something to get him to calm down."

"No, ma'am, I just scratched his head and such."

By that time, Ivy had walked up next to Hoss. "I'm sorry if I scared you some. I just thought that Brutus would hurt you. I had no idea he meant you no harm. Would you like to come to the house for some breakfast? Our cook is not an early riser but doesn't mind me in her kitchen."

"Ma'am, I'd like that very much." Hoss offered his arm to Ivy, and she took it. He was thinking they must make an odd looking couple with her carrying the rifle as he towered a foot taller than her.

In the house, Charles was thinking the same thing as he gazed out his bedroom window. He had raised his girls on his own ever since his wife had given birth to Desert Rose and couldn't bear what she thought was her shame. Nothing he had ever said or done had lessened his wife's pain until she gave up and took her own life. Somehow, his girls had developed these amazingly high standards about what kind of men they would like to marry someday and again he had not been able to shake their resolve. As a result neither of them had been courted for they had rejected any man who offered. Now this man from Nevada had already made a friend of Ivy. He seemed to be a very nice man. Charles began to hope that at least one of his girls might let a man into her heart. He had to hope though that this man was not doing this to help his negotiations because Charles would in fact give him a great deal if he was truly able to win his daughter's heart.

In the kitchen, Ivy and Hoss were talking. Ivy had ham, eggs, and bacon out and was chopping up some peppers and onions. Hoss wondered at what she was making, but it already smelled very good. He was amazed when everything went into the same large cast iron pan. The smells from it were making him salivate very quickly so he got over his surprise as his appetite told him he was going to like it very much.

"Now your Pa is very light haired, but both of you ladies have dark hair. Was your ma dark haired?"

"No, my Ma was blond and even lighter than Pa. No I use stuff to make my hair dark. Otherwise it would be blond."

"Now why would you do that?"

"Cause around here, the Comanche used to like raiding a lot, and blond haired women seemed to be favored. Pa colored my hair ever since I was little."

"What happened to your ma?"

"It's too hard to say. What about your family?"

"Well, my Pa is on the ranch in Nevada with my younger brother Joe. My older brother Adam is traipsing off to China and I won't see him for a year. He woulda been the one doing this except he's gone so I had to. Mind you, I'm finding I like this job a whole lot better than I thought I would."

"Do your brothers look like you?"

"Nah, they're both real handsome men. Adam is dark kinda like Desert Rose. He's got black hair and when he's in the sun a lot, he looks like a Paiute except he has to shave, and sometimes that's twice a day. Now my little brother is just that. He's average height where Adam is tall and I'm real tall. Joe's got so much hair on top of his head with them curls of his though sometimes I think of him as taller. He's got brown hair and he's lighter than Adam but darker than me."

"Seems like a lot of variety in your family. How about your pa?"

"Well now he's a bit shorter than Adam but the two of them look more alike than the rest of us do. Pa's broader in the beam like me but not quite so big. His hair was dark like Adam's before it went gray."

"Well you must resemble your mother and the other two must take after your pa."

"That could be, but we also each have a different mother. Adam's ma died the day he was born. My Ma lived longer but I was just a little shaver when she was killed by Indians. Joe had his Ma the longest. She died falling from a horse when he was about five."

"Now that is a sad story. Your father lost three wives and none of you had a mother while you were growing up."

"We did all right. Adam was always there for me. He's six years older than me. He did the same for Joe after his Ma died. We got a cook too who's like part of our family. Hop Sing was always there for us when we needed him. Still is."

Impressed that Hoss could talk about a nonwhite with so much affection, Ivy decided to share more of her family's history so she could judge his reaction. "My mother was taken by the Comanche soon after I was born. She hid me and they never found me. She was with them for months before Pa could get her back. She was with child again when she got back here. Desert Rose is half Comanche. Ma never could forgive herself for what happened. She felt she betrayed my father. He did everything he could to show her that he loved her. I remember some of it. But one day when Pa took me and Rose out riding on our ponies, we came back and Ma was dead. She had killed herself out by our family plot. I was six and Rose was five. We never can forget that day."

Seeing how difficult those memories were for Ivy, Hoss had to do something so he stood and walked to her wrapping his arms around her to soothe her. He had met this woman the day before but yet it seemed so natural to hold her and give her comfort. Hoss was amazed because he was usually so nervous around women especially when he first met them, but Ivy was different. A loud cough from the doorway made him step aside.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds, Mr. Niven, but Ivy was upset and I thought I could help."

"I heard. Now you know our family history. Does that change anything between us?"

Confused, Hoss looked at Mr. Niven and then back at Ivy. "Why would that change anything? I guess I don't rightly understand what you mean."

"That right there told me what I needed to know. Ivy, you about ready to serve that up? Your sister's going to be here soon too so why don't you get out four plates and we'll take our breakfast out on the porch."

Breakfast was followed by a ride around some of the Niven ranch. It was vast but the pasturage was mostly brown. Hoss couldn't see how they raised so many cattle in these drier lands. For a few days, he rode and picnicked with the sisters. Rose got the picture and on the fourth day begged off the ride to let Ivy and Hoss ride together. As she stood on the porch with her father, they both expressed that they thought the two were falling in love, and that they would lose Ivy as she undoubtedly would move to Nevada if they were correct in their assumptions. Each day, Charles and Hoss talked through the various points of a contract and by the end of the week had a signed deal. They shook hands, and Hoss was ready to take his leave but had one more thing he wanted to discuss with Charles.

"Hoss, is there something else? I can't think of anything we haven't worked out in that contract."

"Well, sir, there is one thing but it ain't about the cattle. Ah, well, sir, I, uh, well I just gotta say it. Mr. Nivens, I would like your permission to start courting your daughter Ivy ifn that was all right with you."

"I think you already have been. My daughter seems thoroughly smitten with you already. You better not ever hurt her, Hoss. I don't care how big you are. I'll beat you into the dirt if you ever harm my daughter. Oh, and yes, I give my permission for you to formally court my daughter. Does she know? Oh of course she knows because I can hear her and her sister out there snickering away. Come on in here, girls. We got something else to celebrate."

Chapter 16

Later on the Ponderosa, Hoss was organizing a drive of selected cattle to Texas. Ivy and Desert Rose had traveled to Nevada where they selected cattle for the breeding program their father hoped to implement. Every time Hoss thought about the day the two sisters had arrived, he had to laugh a little. Ivy had her hair blonde again. Hoss had told her he would like that if she wanted to do that and she had. Well Hoss had told his family that he was courting a Texas gal and that she was coming up to help pick out the cattle for her father's breeding program. He guessed that with him being so big and all, and her being from Texas and working cattle on her father's ranch, well his Pa and Joe had some preconceived notions about what she would look like. The way their eyes bugged out when they first met her was funny on so many levels Hoss would never forget it. The two ladies had ridden into the yard of the Ponderosa when Ben was sitting on the porch reading over contracts. Hoss was in the stable and heard riders but wasn't expecting the sisters for another day or two. Joe had walked out of the house when he heard them arrive. Ben greeted the sisters first.

"Good afternoon, ladies, can I help you?"

But Joe was ready and willing to jump in. "And if you ladies need any help, I would be glad to provide it."

"We're looking for Hoss Cartwright. He lives here, doesn't he?"

"He surely does." Walking up behind Ivy, Hoss was overjoyed to see her whirl and smile for him. She dismounted and rushed into his arms. He kissed her lightly and then turned to introduce her to his father and brother. That's when he saw their eyes had gotten so big, and Joe's mouth was hanging open. They had never expected him to be courting such a beautiful woman. Ben recovered first.

"I am delighted to meet Hoss' intended. He has talked about you every day as often as he can work it into the conversation, but I must say he never impressed us with how beautiful you are."

"Pa, this is Desert Rose. She's Ivy's younger sister."

"I am very pleased to meet you as well."

By this time, Joe had recovered his composure and was at Rose's side. He offered to help her from her horse but was rebuffed. "I've been riding since I was a toddler. I think I can dismount without assistance."

"Sorry, I don't know you well enough to know what you can and can't do. I was just trying to be nice."

"Oh, Joe, I am sorry. It's just that men have a tendency to try to help us like we're helpless, and I get touchy about things like that. Now Hoss, didn't you say you had another brother?" Rose had been intrigued by Hoss' description of Adam and had thought she might like him for they seemed to have a lot in common.

"Yes'm, but he's still in the Sandwich Islands. He'll be here in about two months, about the time I get back here from driving that herd to Texas. Your Pa wants them to arrive in good condition so it's gonna take longer." Both Ivy and Rose noticed that Ben seemed to have an upset look when Hoss explained that Adam wasn't there.

"Oh, I was looking forward to meeting him. I guess it will have to wait."

"Rose, I would be more than happy to show you around the ranch. I've been here while Adam's been gone so I'm more familiar with our stock right now anyway."

Rose liked the attention from Joe who did not seem at all concerned by her darker skin. When the sisters met Hop Sing and Ah Cy, and later learned Hannibal Jefferson's story, they realized that this was the right family for Ivy. Her sister was accepted by them, and the two families could visit back and forth. The distance from Nevada to Texas would be their only obstacle, and once the railroad was complete, that would be easier too. Hoss told the two ladies to take their bags and he would show them to guest rooms. Both of the sisters were pleased with the comfortable house and the casual style that suited them as well.

As soon as the sisters were settled in, Hoss wanted to ride to the herd to show the ladies the stock he thought they might like. Joe invited himself along. Hoss didn't mind because he was looking forward to getting Ivy away from everyone for at least a little while to properly welcome her to the Ponderosa. Joe was of a like mind so Hoss didn't have to wait long. He rode to a small copse of trees in the pasture and dismounted. Ivy jumped down from her horse and hugged him as he embraced her. The two kissed for a while until Hoss said they had to stop.

"Why? I thought we were doing quite well there. I liked it."

"Well now, darling, the problem is just that. Ifn we don't stop, there's gonna be a lot more going on than is proper before we get married."

"We're getting married?"

"Well I'm courting ya. I thought that was why a body courts a gal."

"Hoss, I'm teasing you. When do you want to get married?"

"I'd like my brother Adam to be here for my wedding. He's supposed to be home in two months. Would that be all right with you?"

"That will be wonderful. I'd like to get married here too if you don't mind. It's so beautiful here, and this is where we'll be making our home."

Pulling Ivy into another deep kiss, Hoss let her know he liked her ideas. They might have kept going then but the sound of horses riding up made them let go of each other. Rose was smiling when she got there.

"Pa said I needed to chaperone you. Looks like I got here just in time."

The four rode for another hour and then returned to the ranch for dinner. Both ladies were impressed by the delicious meal they were served. Their cook in Texas was a good basic cook but the use of wine in cooking and some of the other things Hop Sing and Ah Cy did with the dishes they served were delightfully surprising.

"Ivy, when you get married, I may be visiting here a lot. It's so pretty here and the food is the best I've ever had."

In the kitchen, Hop Sing and Ah Cy heard the compliments and decided they liked these two young ladies. They prepared to serve the dessert and aperitifs.

"Now, Rose, I'm hurt that you wouldn't want to come back here to see me. I did my best today to show you that I can be a charming companion." Joe did his puppy dog smile for her, but she didn't melt like he had hoped.

"I'm sorry, Joe. I would be delighted to visit with you when I come to see my sister. I'm sure though that there are many women clamoring for your attention."

"Ya got that right. Little brother has to beat em off with a stick sometimes. There's a dance tomorrow night. Would the two of you like to go with us?"

"Hoss, we traveled light. We didn't bring any dresses with us."

That was a disappointment to all until Ben suggested that some of Marie's dresses might fit the ladies, or they could go to town and purchase dresses to wear for the dress shop would be more than willing to help them out.

"We'll consider that. But tonight, we're very tired, and I think we would like to get some sleep so if you don't mind, I think we would like to turn in early."

"Forgive us, Ivy. We were so happy to have you as guests, we were not considerate of how tired you might be. Of course, you need some rest. We will see you in the morning, and we can continue our conversation then."

After breakfast the next morning, Hoss went riding with Ivy and Joe went with Rose. They made plans to meet for lunch by the lake.

"Your father seemed upset yesterday when you said Adam wasn't going to be home for a couple of months. Is he mad at him or something?" Ivy had noted Ben's frown and the tension that reached him at the mention of Adam.

"Nah, Pa worries that the longer it takes, the less likely Adam will be coming home. I told him that Adam don't lie. If he said he was coming home, well then, he'll be home."

"You worry about him too, don't you?"

"Cain't help but worry. He's not home and Hop Sing won't tell us why. Says its Adam's place to explain why he was delayed. But just the way he says it, and you know it was something bad. I hope he's home in two months. I miss him something fierce."

"Rose wanted to meet him too. She said he sounded interesting."

"Interesting? Oh yeah, he can be interesting. He can be stubborn, moody, and downright mean with some of them comments he makes, but he'll stand with his family through anything, he likes a good joke anytime, and he can be the gentlest, kindest man you ever met to children and to anyone who needs him."

"Well, that could describe Rose too. Maybe that's why she wanted to meet him."

"I thought she liked Joe?"

"Oh, I think she likes him, but there's no spark there. I see how Joe looks at her, but she doesn't look at him that way, and not the way I look at you and the look I see in your eye."

"I hope she lets him down easy. Course Joe's been let down by so many gals now and he's let down so many himself, he ought to be used to the feeling."

Nodding, Hoss leaned over to take her hand as their horses stood on the crest of the ridge above the lake. When he released her hand, she smiled and the two of them rode slowly down to the lake where they could see Rose and Joe already walking. Skipping stones, walking, and finally climbing to some massive boulders sitting high above the lake, the four picnickers wiled away the afternoon. When the afternoon was nearly over, they rode back to the ranch to see if any of Marie's dresses would be suitable for the dance.

At the dance, Hoss let everyone know he was courting Ivy so that the other men would not be pestering her. Rose was pestered quite a lot to Joe's consternation. He had hoped to monopolize her evening, but she danced with a variety of men and spent quite a bit of time on the dance floor with Candy. Joe didn't like that at all. By the end of the evening, Joe's jealousy was all too apparent, and although he had no idea at all, that jealousy doomed whatever chance he had with Rose for she abhorred men treating women like they owned them with not enough regard for the woman as a person. The rest of the week, Rose was still quite pleasant with Joe but Ivy noticed the change in how she regarded him.

By the end of the week, the cattle to be driven to Texas had been selected and cut from the herds. Gathered in the lower southeast pasture, they only had to open a fence line to start the drive. Because the number was relatively small, they decided to go without a chuck wagon and use pack animals instead. Hoss and a few hands were going, and of course the two sisters would be there. Hoss was looking forward to a drive like he had not since his first couple of drives when they had seemed more like adventures than work. He remembered those drives fondly as Adam spent a lot of time with him teaching him what to do. Now on this drive, he would be traveling with his future wife.

The night before the drive was scheduled to leave and after all the preparations were completed, Hoss asked Ivy to walk in the garden with him. Everyone knew that was a euphemism for the couple to have their private time to kiss, hug, and talk. On this night, Hoss had one other thing in mind though. As they reached the garden bench in the back where they had kissed every night of Ivy's stay, Hoss remained standing and then knelt on one knee before her. Taking her small hand in his, Hoss looked at her face and had to smile. He could hardly believe he was doing this.

"Ivy Niven, I know we done talked about this a lot, but I gotta make it official before we leave. Will you marry me and spend the rest of your life with me?"

Leaning forward, Ivy wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly, and Hoss found that was all he wanted to do at that point too. Once they had to stop to catch their breath, Hoss had to ask.

"That does mean yes, doesn't it?"

"Oh, yes, Hoss, yes, yes, yes. Can we tell everyone now?"

"Well I had Hop Sing put some champagne on ice for us, so I guess it would be a good time to tell em."

Walking arm in arm and unable to stop grinning, Hoss led Ivy to the house. Once they were inside, Hoss almost didn't have to say anything. Rose, Joe, and Ben all rose with smiles when they saw the happy couple assuming that only one thing could have caused grins that big.

"Son, did you?"

"Yes, Pa, I asked her, and she said yes. Pa, we're getting married!"

"I am so happy to finally be able to congratulate one of my sons on getting married. When will you marry? Where is the wedding going to be?"

"Well, we gotta talk to Ivy's Pa first, but we would both like the wedding to be here. It's greener than west Texas, and Ivy and me will be living here after the wedding. I want to wait for Adam to be home before we get married. I really want him at our wedding, so we were thinking that it would be after the cattle drive. We'll head back here, and Mr. Niven can come with us. Then we can make all the final plans and have a wedding."

"That sounds wonderful, son, just wonderful. Now if we only had some champagne chilled, we could celebrate this moment with style."

At that point, Hop Sing walked out with a tray of glasses and a bottle of champagne. Ben told him to ask Ah Cy to join them too and asked Joe to tell Candy as well as Hannibal and Mabel to join them. Once Hop Sing returned with his wife and the others came in with Joe, Ben served champagne to everyone and made a toast.

"Dear family and friends, we are celebrating the betrothal of Hoss and Ivy as they have promised to embark together on life's great voyage. May the happiness I've known as a parent be multiplied a hundredfold in your home. May you come to know the heavenly joy of holding your babies, my grandchildren. May your house know the peace that comes with true love. Please raise your glasses with me in a toast to Hoss and Ivy."

When everyone had drunk their champagne, Hop Sing went to the kitchen and brought out a cake. It was decorated with Chinese symbols for good luck and frosted with red frosting. He had anticipated the announcement after Hoss told him to get the champagne cooling, so he and Ah Cy had baked and decorated this cake. Hoss was thrilled, and he and Ivy cut and served the cake to everyone. Ah Cy had been extremely skeptical when Hop Sing had said he worked for the Cartwrights but was treated like part of the family. Nothing like this would ever have happened in China. This was a strange and sometimes incomprehensible country to Ah Cy, but every day she liked it more and more, and gradually she felt herself falling in love with her husband which was something else she had not expected.

The next day, Hoss and the sisters left on the drive for Texas. It was going to be a difficult time for Hoss and Ivy. They would be so close and yet would have to maintain some distance. Rose teased her sister unmercifully on the drive with the close proximity of Hoss when they slept at night, and that Rose's duties as chaperone meant that she always placed her sleeping mat between her sister and Hoss. Rose thought there was no need for anything to happen on the drive for it would happen soon enough. Hoss and Ivy were able to sneak away for kisses and hugs but the work schedule and Rose's presence did keep them from doing any more although day by day that was more and more difficult to do. As Rose saw how much in love her sister and Hoss were, it made her somewhat wistful. She doubted any man who ever wanted her physically would want her in marriage once they learned her background.

In about seven weeks, the drive reached the Niven ranch in Texas. They had stopped often enough to water the cattle and let them graze, that they were full weight when they arrived. In comparison to the Niven cattle when they were side by side, and it was clear why Charles wanted the Ponderosa cattle. The Niven cattle were tough, but in the process of adapting to the environment, they had lost the ability to carry weight.

"They look downright skinny now that I see them next to each other. But they're taller than our cattle too. You're gonna have some right fine looking beeves for market once the two start mixing those traits." Hoss put his stamp of approval on the plan.

Not willing to wait a moment longer, Ivy told her father that Hoss had proposed.

"Now, Ivy, isn't the gentleman supposed to ask the father's permission for your hand first?"

Starting to get a little worried at that question, Hoss was relieved actually when both sisters laughed uproariously at it. Charles looked at Hoss and smiled.

"I hope you know what you're getting into with my daughter. I'm afraid I didn't know too much about raising girls and apparently failed to instill the ladylike qualities that society might expect of them."

"Don't you worry none, Mr. Niven. Your daughter is all the lady I will ever want. She dances right purty too." At Charles' surprised look, Hoss added more. "Yessiree, we had a barn dance in Virginia City and your daughters were the center of attention."

Looking at Rose, Charles had an even more surprised look. "Rose, you went dancing?"

"Yes, I did, Pa. Had a good time too."

"Well, Hoss, you have had a most welcome effect on both my girls then. When are the two of you planning to marry?"

"Well, my brother Adam is due home any day now. We'd like it if you would come back to the Ponderosa with us, and we could have the wedding up there."

"Hoss, I'm going to need some time to work out what to do with these cattle you've brought me. What if I can follow you in a week or so? Would that be all right with the two of you?"

"Oh, Pa, that's not a problem. It's gonna take us a bit to plan everything and get ready anyway. I need a dress and I'll have it made there. Pa, you're gonna like it there. There's so much green and water everywhere. That Lake up there is like a giant jewel."

"I think that you need to spend some time here packing up your things too. You can use our big freight wagon. If you haul your stuff back with you, I can take the wagon back here after your wedding. There're some things of your mother's I would like you to have. You and Rose can look through them and decide what each of you wants. It's all in that big locked trunk in my room. I'll give you the key now."

As Ivy and Rose went up to look through the trunk after they had their meal, Charles invited Hoss to have a drink with him.

"Hoss, I had hoped my daughter would marry someone closer to home, but I have to say I am very happy for the two of you. She is my heir though, and I hope you have children to whom to pass on the legacy. You'll have to decide, when the time comes, if you wish to move here and take over this ranch, or sell it and use the money to expand the ranch you and Ivy will have."

"Well, I'm sure that won't be for a very long time, Mr. Nivens. But won't it be possible that Rose could marry someone here and take over the ranch?"

"Rose is not my daughter. She is my daughter's sister. She knows that. I have raised her and done the best I can by her, but she is not a daughter of mine though I say that she is to people to avoid having to explain the whole thing. Now you're part of the family and you know the background, so there's no need to hide anything from you. I cannot have a Comanche inherit my legacy. Not here in Texas especially."

Shocked at what he had heard, Hoss was silent for a time. He didn't know how much he could say and didn't want to jeopardize his plan to marry Ivy. "Mr. Niven, I think you're dead wrong. Rose is as much a daughter to you as Ivy. I heard the way them ladies talked about you. Your daughters both love you. I'm so sorry to think that you don't love both of them."

Rose had been coming down the stairs and heard her father and Hoss talking. She had known that her father, as she had always thought of him, favored her sister, but Rose had never known that her father thought of her as Comanche and not at all as his daughter. She turned around and headed to her room. She packed the items she had selected from her mother's chest. Then she looked through her belongings to decide what to take with her. She knew at that moment that she was never coming back here. She knew her mother had relatives in Laramie, Wyoming. She thought she would go visit them after Ivy's wedding. She supposed at some point, she would cry but at the moment all she felt was numb. She planned to ride her horse to the Ponderosa. Her sister and Hoss could drive the wagon. She had no money and wondered how she could get enough to get started on her own. That was settled the next morning when Charles gave money to both Ivy and Rose to buy what they needed to dress for the wedding. There was far more money than they would need so Rose now had a stake for the future. She planned to tell Ivy of her decision once they were well away from the Niven ranch.

The next morning as they were loading Ivy's belongings onto the wagon, Ivy teased Rose about how much she was taking with her. "Rose, you're not getting married. You can leave some of your stuff here." Ivy chuckled but Rose did not respond.

Suddenly Hoss suspected he might know why for if Rose had overheard any of the conversation he and Charles had had the night before, he wouldn't blame her at all if she was leaving. "Hey, Ivy, maybe she wants to stay with us on the Ponderosa. I know I got a little brother who might like that a lot."

Looking at Hoss and his sympathetic look, Rose wondered how much he knew and then realized he probably knew everything. That would make it easier to explain things to Ivy at least. Charles came out to bid them goodbye. He kissed Ivy on the cheek and hugged her. Rose mounted up, waved, and rode out.

"I wonder what that's all about."

Hoss looked directly at Charles and in a low tone replied. "I think you know exactly what it's about. You weren't careful when you were talking to me, and I guess your prejudice wasn't as clear to Rose as you thought, but it is now. We'll see you on the Ponderosa for the wedding in three weeks if all goes well. We'll send a telegram if there's a delay."

Snapping the reins then, Hoss sent the team at a good pace following Rose. His horse and Ivy's were tied to the back of the wagon. They planned to travel from town to town and sleep in hotels and take their main meals in restaurants for the return trip. Ivy looked up at Hoss and waited for him to explain what to her were some inexplicable behavior and commentary. By the time Hoss finished telling her what he knew and what he had guessed, she asked him to stop so she could get her horse. Then she rode ahead to catch up with Rose. By that evening, the two sisters had talked it all out, and Ivy was probably more angry than Rose.

"How dare he think he can treat my sister that way? He'll have to do better than an apology too when he gets to the Ponderosa. I won't accept what he said to you, and if he persists, well I've got my own future now."

The three were in agreement that Charles was wrong. Rose felt better knowing that her sister supported her completely and without reservation and was surprised that Hoss did too. She knew their family was very tolerant, but another race in your family was a lot more threatening to most people than another race in your house. Apparently the Cartwrights didn't share any of the ideas supporting the virulent racism sweeping the country and causing race riots and untold bloodshed and harm. Charles Niven's words supporting political and military leaders who advocated extermination of Native Americans now took on a much darker tone. He did not support those men despite those beliefs but possibly because of them and that made the sisters question many of the things he had told them over the years about their mother. It was a depressing thought but both wondered if their mother's depression and death had more to do with their father's attitude than their mother's feelings.

Chapter 17

The Ponderosa seemed very quiet when Adam drove a rented carriage into the yard. It was a Saturday, but he had still expected more activity than this. He noted the changes to the place including a new room built onto the end of the bunkhouse and what appeared to be an extension at the back of the kitchen too extending both the washroom and Hop Sing's room. He climbed down from the carriage and tied the horse to the rail. Just as he was about to pick up Keilani from the back seat where he was sleeping, the front door opened and people poured out of the house, but two were women that Adam didn't recognize.

Noting the tall dark black-haired man wearing the black shirt and black pants, Rose assumed this had to be Adam. Hoss has said he could get in some dark moods, and she had to assume this was one of them because he looked angry and intimidating as well as ready to challenge anyone. Now she also understood why Hoss and Joe said that people could be frightened by one look from Adam. He certainly was managing to do that now. Rose noted how Ivy moved closer to Hoss. She felt it too. Ben walked out last, and rushed to his son who turned away from him to pick something up from the back of the carriage. It looked like he was holding a baby. Rose wondered what was going on and realized everyone else had that same look.

"Son, I am so glad to have you back home. What is it you have there?"

"My son. His name is Keilani. His mother died on Molokai, and I'm all he's got left." The baby started to fuss a little, and Rose saw a transformation. Adam's face turned warm and gentle as he kissed his baby and used his fingers to caress his cheeks. Within a minute the child was soothed and Adam put him against his chest holding him securely. The dark look was back again too.

"Adam, can you tell us what happened? Hop Sing wouldn't say a word. He said it was your story to tell."

"I'll tell the family, but not in front of outsiders."

"Adam, that ain't no way to talk to the ladies. This here's Ivy and we're getting married. This other lady is her sister Rose, and they ain't outsiders. They're family now."

"They're strangers to me. If you don't mind, I want to put Keilani down for a nap. He's overtired. Is my old room still available?"

"Yes, son, of course it is. We put the crates you sent up there, but there's still plenty of room for you and your son. Do you need a cradle?"

"No, I have the one I've been using for him for the last six months. He's used to it and it helps him with all the moves we've been making to have something he recognizes as home. If someone could get that from the boot, I'll just grab his bag of clothing and head upstairs."

"We'll get your stuff for you, Adam. You just take care of your son. And welcome home, oldest brother."

"Thanks, Joe, for everything." Ignoring Ivy and Rose, Adam walked into the house and up the stairs.

"Ivy, I'm real sorry my brother was so rude. There's no excuse for how he acted."

"Hoss, you won't know that until he talks with you. Rose and I can stay out here so you and your family can talk."

"You're part of the family now."

"We're not part of Adam's family yet. Go talk to him, Hoss. It'll be fine."

When Hoss got inside, he found Joe and Ben standing by the fireplace and wondering what had happened. Adam seemed angry and bitter. He was thin and looked like he hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep in a long time. All they could do at this point was to wait and see what he would tell them. It took only about ten minutes to have Adam walking down the stairs. Ben offered him a drink.

"I don't drink any more. I'll tell you the story, and I would appreciate it if there weren't a bunch of questions. I met a woman in the islands. I drew sketches of her and those were in the first crate I sent home. She was beautiful, smart, and loving. We married before God. By the time I left the Islands, she was with child. I expected to sail to China to get Hop Sing's wife and then come back for her. The trip back was interrupted by a typhoon that blew us well off our course and caused damage to the ship. We ended up in the Gilbert Islands where it took a month to complete the repairs with the tools we had and the wood that was available." Adam took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Anyone who knew him knew that the next part of the story was something he found it very difficult to express.

"By the time I got back to O'ahu, I could not find Alamea. A priest came to me to tell me that she had joined her mother and brother on the leper colony of Molokai. You don't have to worry. If I was infected, it should be showing by now. For some reason, being with child accelerated the disease. After Keilani was born a month early, Alamea quickly deteriorated. I had to make a choice between my wife and my son, between caring for her or caring for him." Adam's voice was breaking at this point so he hurried to finish the story. "There was a wet nurse caring for my son. She continued to do that until he was old enough to be weaned and travel. I booked passage as soon as I could, and here we are."

"Could your son have the disease?" Ben asked softly knowing that this must have scared his son immensely.

"Apparently not. He's three fourths white, and it seems to have given him some protection. Babies born of mothers who have leprosy have the disease at birth or shortly after. He's still healthy and growing. Here in Nevada he won't be exposed to the disease and should be fine."

"If your wife was from the Islands, how is he three fourths white?" The math wasn't adding up for Hoss.

"Alamea was half white. Keilani is a bit darker than me, but not by that much. It will be enough for people to notice though especially as he gets older."

"Son, that won't matter to us. What matters to me is that I have a grandson. Now when can we meet him?"

For the first time in months, Adam relaxed his vigilance. He had rehearsed what he would say to his family and worried about their reaction. He shouldn't have. They accepted his actions, and they accepted his son. "He's exhausted by all the travel, and frankly so am I."

"Why don't you go upstairs then and rest with your son. We'll call you for dinner if that's all right?"

"That'll be fine, Pa. Thank you. All of you. I was worried about what you would think. I guess I was being foolish, but it's been a tough six months, and I hope you can forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive, son. I'm so grateful that you're home, and that you have a son. I'm so sorry to learn of your wife. Is there anything we can do for you?"

"I don't think there's anything anyone can do for me. I'll have to live with my decisions and the consequences of them. I'll see you all later." Adam walked up the stairs then, and everyone could see how defeated he looked. He was correct about that though. He would have to come to an understanding on his own and settle it all in his heart and mind. More than anyone, Ben understood how difficult that was going to be.

It was nearing the dinner hour when Adam walked down the stairs carrying his son. Ben wanted to hold him, but Adam said he had been through so many changes, he thought it best if he held him until he acclimated to the house and the people there. Adam held Keilani through dinner feeding him in between grabbing bites of his dinner. Very quiet throughout the meal, Adam did listen to stories and conversation and nodded or smiled appropriately, but he was hardly the conversationalist that Ivy and Rose had been led to believe by Joe and Hoss. After dinner, Adam sat in the blue chair and made faces with his son and let him grab his fingers and pull. Keilani wanted to put Adam's fingers in his mouth, and Ben announced he must be teething.

"For a little jasper, he sure has a lot of hair, and now he's gonna have teeth too. He's coming along real well, Adam. Do you remember when Joe was teething? Dang that boy could bite with only those four teeth he had."

"Hoss, now cut that out. It's not fair to embarrass me with baby stories in front of the ladies, when I can't retaliate. Of course, I could tell some of those stories about where you two went when you told Pa you were going hunting."

"Now, Joe, don't go making up stories. You know that Adam and I went to the high country when we took those trips. We always come back with something too."

"No, I mean where else did you go?"

"Joseph, perhaps the ladies would enjoy a different topic of conversation." Joe always knew what his father meant when he said Joseph. The rest of the sentence really didn't matter. It was time to stop what he was doing.

"Hey, Adam, can you tell us what you saw on your trip that you never saw before?"

"No."

"Aw, c'mon, you must have all sorts of stories to tell." Joe couldn't understand why Adam wouldn't talk more.

"Yes, I would love to hear of the exotic lands you visited." Rose had a wanderlust all her own, and these trips to Nevada had fueled her desire to see more or at least learn about them.

"It's bad enough to have my little brother nagging me, I don't need some stranger pushing me too." Adam's short temper was on display as well as his biting tongue, but Rose was a match for most who played that game.

"The Ponderosa certainly was a much more pleasant place to be until a cruel wind blew you in. Do you dislike people in general, or only the ones closest to you?"

"I don't dislike people. I dislike people who find my life more interesting than theirs. I'm not here to entertain people whose lives are boring."

"My life is not boring, but it certainly was nicer until I met you."

Keilani started to fuss, and began to cry when Ben thundered. "Stop it. I will not have that type of talk at my table!"

Standing with his crying son, Adam almost sneered at Rose. All that he had been through in the fourteen months he had been gone had made him feel that no one understood him and what he had suffered. Rose thought she knew too how much hurt a person could carry.

"You think that you have a monopoly on tragedy. You don't, and the sooner you understand that, the sooner you'll be able to heal. You need to let the past rest and look at the future."

"So is your last name Socrates by chance? Or perhaps you helped write the Gospels? Just shower me with your wisdom. It's done so much good already."

"Adam, stop it. You should not be talking to our guests that way."

"Fine, I'll take my son upstairs and leave you to a more pleasant and peaceful evening I'm sure." With that parting comment, Adam walked to the stairs and up to his room with no more comments.

Once Adam turned the corner at the top of the stairs, Ben turned to Rose. "I'm sorry. He's hurting quite badly, and Adam has never been able to accept comfort when he's hurting. He needs to come to terms with it himself, and right now I'm afraid the wounds are too fresh."

Upstairs, Adam sat in the rocking chair in his room. He knew that his father had sat in that chair innumerable times when he was hurt or sick waiting to see if he would survive or not and in what condition. He wished that somehow the situation would be like that. That his father could sit at his side and soothe him with that calm voice of his. At this moment, it wasn't the pain of Alamea's loss that hurt so much. It was that Adam found Rose Niven to be extremely attractive, and his guilt over feeling that way made him want to strike out at her which was another reason for him to feel badly. Alamea had died about six months earlier and Adam believed he should honor her memory by denying himself companionship. He had not been with a woman in any way for all of that time. Now he wanted Rose and the desire for her was strong. He didn't understand why, but he felt an emotional pull to her, and the way her eyes bore right into him made him feel as if she was seeing his soul.

As Keilani settled down, Adam rocked slower and slower until his eyes slowly closed. Then he was still and held his son on his chest knowing how much Keilani seemed to crave that reassurance. He had not been with Adam for the first month of his life, and although he seemed to delight in his father's company, taking him away from his wet nurse a month earlier had been traumatic. He had cried and cried that first day and could not be soothed. He wasn't ever hungry for Adam made sure of that, but he missed the soothing comfort of nursing. Adam knew now that he should have done it more gradually, but he needed so badly to get home.

Now that Adam was here with his family though, he didn't know how to reach out for the help he so desperately needed. He felt his son relax into a deep sleep and placed him in his cradle which was the one constant the child had. He had been in that cradle since his first day on earth. Adam wondered how he could possibly enlarge it for it would soon be too small, and how would his son react to losing that as well. He stripped off his clothing then and slid between the sheets. He had a robe on the bed for he knew he would likely have to get up during the night to care for his son. He would likely be wet and need a change of diaper and a dry gown. That would make him wake enough to know that he was hungry. Adam would have to get him something to eat at that point, and realized he had forgotten to say anything about that to Hop Sing.

Tormented by guilt and feeling inadequate to the tasks he had, Adam slept fitfully. As expected, Keilani woke in the early hours of the morning. Adam turned up the lamp and pulled out a dry diaper and gown and changed his son. He wrapped him in a warm blanket then before pulling on his robe. Quietly he opened the door to head downstairs and at the top of the stairs realized he should have brought the lamp too. Suddenly the hall was bathed in light as his father came out with a lamp.

"I thought perhaps you could use some help. I'll walk down the steps first with the lamp. While you feed your son, I think I may have some hot chocolate."

"Perhaps for a while, we can leave a lamp burning low down here?"

"We can do that. We'll leave one on the hearth so there won't be any fire danger."

As Ben and Adam neared the kitchen, they realized there was already light in there. As they rounded the corner and entered the kitchen, they found Hop Sing mixing up some warm cereal for Keilani.

"Good for baby. Rice flour and milk. He sleep well."

"Thank you, Hop Sing. How did you know?"

"I take care of baby before. I know need food for little one at night. Too long for small stomach and no food." Hop Sing poured out two small cups of hot chocolate too. "Now I go bed. Leave dishes on counter. I wash with breakfast dishes. Yes?"

"Thank you, again, and good night."

"We're here to help you, Adam, and help your son. I want you to know that."

"Pa, I know that. I'm sorry for how I acted earlier. I just felt so, I don't know, just wrong."

"She got under your skin a little, didn't she?"

"Pa, I'm not ready to look at another woman."

"Adam, there's no timeline for grieving. You knew your wife only a short time. Was there a timeline on falling in love with her? You feel what you feel. It's life. You take what you can get."

"I have a son to take care of, and that has to be my priority now."

"No, you need to be a father to your son, and being a father is taking care of yourself so you can take care of your son. Can't do one without the other. I know."

Finishing his hot chocolate, Ben wished him a good night. He went out and left a lamp burning low by the fireplace, and then upstairs made sure that the lamp in Adam's room was throwing enough light into the hallway. In the kitchen, Adam fed his son. He always ate slowly as if it was difficult for him. The doctors had said it was because of his prematurity, and that in time, he would get better at eating. Adam fed him one small spoonful at a time until the bowl of cereal was gone. At least Keilani ate enough to grow well. He no longer looked so fragile as he had when Adam first saw him, and his color was good. Adam stood then, and Keilani dropped his head to Adam's shoulder falling asleep almost immediately. Adam knew he would sleep about five more hours now until he was wet and hungry once more.

In the morning, Ben asked Adam if he would go to church with them. He agreed and dressed his son as well as he could. He knew he needed to get some new clothing for his son, but the stores would all be closed until Monday. Ben could tell Adam's temper was rising even before church services began. There were a lot of comments about his son's name and then the darker skin tone. Bu the time he came out of church carrying his son, there were a couple of hooligans who yelled out darky and other derogatory names before running away laughing. There was nothing Adam could do about it except sulk, and he was quite good at that. Any progress in improving his mood was lost with the unkind behavior of people more interested in color than morality. If this is what happened at church, Adam had to wonder what could happen in town without a minister and others to keep people under control.

"Adam, you have to keep your temper in check. Ignorant people like that feed off getting good people angry and upset. The more you react, the more they'll do."

"So, I'm supposed to accept their taunts and sarcasm. Walk away like it doesn't matter. How is that showing my son that I love him and will protect him from harm at all cost? What happens when he's old enough to understand what they're saying?"

"It's going to be very hard for him, but it's going to be a lot easier if he has a strong father standing beside him."

"Pa, you remember how hard it was for Hoss with all the name calling and taunting he had to take. You standing strong beside him didn't really help much, did it?"

"So you still prefer your method. The fights and the threats you made to those boys that got you into so much trouble at school and at home. You're still not remorseful for breaking Johnny Miller's nose."

"Pa, getting tanned was nothing compared to what Hoss had to suffer. No, John had it coming, and that crooked nose he has today ought to remind him daily that you don't get to hurt other people and walk away unscathed."

"You do know then that his son was one of those who yelled those names and then ran away?"

"I do. Seems he's teaching his sons to behave like he did. Maybe he needs another lesson."

"Adam, this has to stop. I know you have a lot of anger in you for what has happened. It wasn't fair to find a woman to love and have her taken so tragically, but I understand better than anyone that you need to grieve and move on. She's gone and nothing will bring her back, but she left a part of herself with you in your son. Keilani needs a father who can face the world and live, not one who can't let go of the past."

"It seems I am surrounded with philosophers. Keilani and I will do just fine. Now I think I would like to go home."

Climbing into the carriage, Adam settled into the seat silently and held his son to his chest. There were a number of women at the church who wouldn't mind at all becoming Adam's wife and caring for his child even if he wasn't all white. What they didn't understand was that their concern for Keilani's color however benign was still a degree of racism that Adam would never accept because they saw a dark child not a beautiful child who smiled and cooed at his father whom he already loved better than anything. Ben climbed in beside Adam and they headed for home.

After they left, Hoss helped Ivy up into the surrey, and Joe helped Rose climb up behind her before settling in beside the lady. Rose and Ivy had overheard the conversation between Ben and Adam as had Hoss and Joe of course. Now the ladies wanted to know the rest of Adam's story. They had picked up bits and pieces, but they knew there was something very tragic in his story and wanted to know what it was.

Not sure if Adam would approve of them violating his confidences or not, Hoss and Joe told what they knew of his story. The part where he abandoned his wife on Molokai so that he could care for his son and avoid exposing him to the disease that had claimed his mother's family had the two sisters nearly in tears. Now they understood the anger and bitterness in him, and realized that much of the anger was directed at himself. He had not accepted yet that it was a terrible choice and the only one he could make. There had been nothing he could do to alter the circumstances but for a man so used to controlling his own fate, it had been devastating. If it had been an act of nature such as a typhoon, he would have railed at God and fate, but he would have understood in time. With what happened, however he blamed himself more than anyone. He did not know that Alamea was already infected before he left, and likely had been infected well before she had met him. There was no way for him ever to know that so the self-loathing was likely to continue.

Chapter 18

Once everyone was back on the ranch, Hoss drove the surrey to the lake so he and Ivy could walk and talk, and maybe steal a kiss or two or three. Joe walked with Rose who was very quiet. Joe did his best to fill in the gap in conversation until she relaxed and the two skipped stones and hiked up the boulders. They talked a lot about the Ponderosa and about their pasts, but Rose wasn't ready to share her deepest secrets with Joe. She was afraid he would not accept her and would not see how devastating her father's words had been to her. She wasn't sure he would understand how the attitudes about race made her feel. She wanted to keep everything upbeat and positive with her sister's wedding fast approaching. Her sister's father would be arriving soon. She didn't know how she was going to react to that. And that was how she thought of Charles Niven now, her sister's father. Joe noticed her pensive look.

"Are you going to tell me what you're thinking, or do I have to guess?"

"What would you guess?"

"Oh, that your sister is getting married next Saturday, and you're wondering what it will be like not to have her around all the time."

"Joe, you are amazing. You hit it with the first try."

Seeing Rose smiling then, Joe was quite proud of himself and of course had no idea how easily he had just been manipulated. Rose kept a smile plastered on her face for the rest of the early afternoon until the four of them headed back to the ranch house. Once inside, she went to her room. Ivy was there soon after.

"You and Joe seemed to be getting along fine. He's quite handsome don't you think?"

"He's a very cute boy."

Ivy shrugged then. "But he's not for you, is he? I was hoping maybe he would be so you would stay here longer. Oh, Rose, where will you go?"

"I'll stay for a time. Ma had relatives in Laramie. I thought I would go there and meet them. I want to see what they're like. After that, I don't know."

"Come back here after you visit Laramie. We could talk about your plans. Please?"

"You know I can never say no to you for something like that."

"And don't let Adam make you feel uncomfortable. I'm sure he will recover in time and be the man his brothers describe."

"He's quite a man just the way he is. Now I would like to change. I assume we will be having dinner soon, and I would rather not wear the same clothing I was hiking in to the dinner table."

Leaving her sister to change, Ivy had a small smile. So it was Adam who had caught her eye. He would never have been Ivy's choice although she had to admit he was very handsome and masculine. No his dark mood and biting tongue were not things she could accept. She loved Hoss with his beautiful smile that she could never get see enough, and the sweet disposition. She had no doubt that Hoss could get angry and violent too, but she knew she never had to fear anything from him. It seemed that Adam had a dark side and that scared her a bit. But the more she thought about it, Rose had a bit of a dark side too and was not one to trifle with when she was angry. Ivy was thinking things could get quite interesting and then Hoss spotted her.

"What are you thinking about, darling? You just had the cutest little smile a moment ago like you was up to some mischief."

"No, Hoss, there may be mischief in the making, but I had nothing to do with it." And that was all she told him. It would happen or not with Adam and Rose. All there was to do was wait and see at this point.

When it was nearly time for dinner, Adam was holding Keilani but he needed to use the necessary. Unwilling to take Keilani there, Adam asked his father to hold him but Rose volunteered. It would have been unbearably rude to say no to her, and Adam very much needed to hurry so he handed his son to Rose. When Adam came back in the house through the kitchen, he heard his son laughing. He stepped through the door into the dining room to see Rose with Keilani resting in her lap. She would lean down so that he could grab her cheeks and then she would make blustery noises and roll her eyes making Keilani laugh hysterically. As he stopped, she would pull away and then come back down to do it again. Rose had watched Adam do that with Keilani that morning after breakfast and thought it looked like a lot of fun. Keilani loved it.

Walking over to stand next to Adam, Ben put a hand on his shoulder. "Just like last night, we're all here to help you and Keilani. All you need to do is ask."

"I know, Pa, it's just that he's all I have left of Alamea. I love him so much and I worry about him all the time."

"That's being a father. That will never change. But I do think you need to trust the family who love you to help you and help Keilani."

"Rose isn't family."

"With Hoss marrying Ivy, she seems like family. This is her second visit here. She seems to fit in so well although there is a sadness about her that I didn't see when I first met her.'

"She's got a pretty sharp tongue when she wants to use it."

Smiling at the irony of that statement, Ben got his first genuine smile from his son since his return. "Keilani's a beautiful boy. I am so proud to have him as my first grandchild."

Seeing Rose suddenly with a look of dismay, Adam headed over to take his son from her. "I'm sorry. I was expecting that all day."

Looking at the front of her dress now with a large wet spot, Rose sighed deeply. "It looks like I'll need to put on a new dress for dinner."

"I could help you with that."

Rose jerked her head up at that. She wondered if he was flirting with her or if she had misunderstood. His grin confirmed the flirtation. She was speechless for a moment too. For the first time, she realized he had a gorgeous smile and dimples. Then she recovered.

"That is not something a gentleman would say to a lady."

"Perhaps I am not a gentleman then, for it would be impolite to suggest the other is true."

"No, you are not a gentleman. You are a boorish cad." Rose stomped up the stairs to go to her room to change then, but with her back turned, no one saw the impish grin on her face.

Rising to Rose's defense, Joe was upset with Adam. "Adam, that was rude. You should never have said that to her."

"Perhaps, but then she called me a boorish cad so it would seem the lady is quite capable of defending herself with that barbed tongue."

As Adam walked to the stairs to take Keilani up to change him, Joe wasn't going to let it drop. Ben grabbed his arm. "Let it go, son. The two of them can handle it themselves. Don't blow a little thing up into anything more." At that point, Ben was getting worried. He knew that Joe was interested in Rose, but he had seen how Adam had looked at Rose as she held Keilani and played with him. He feared his sons were about to battle over a woman again.

Later Adam carried Keilani down the stairs and Rose followed after just a minute later. There was no repeat of the taunting, and dinner was pleasant except for the occasional scowl Joe threw at Adam who seemed unaffected. Ben decided he would have a large glass of brandy after dinner for he thought he might need it.

Over the next week, Joe invited Rose to ride with him on several occasions and she accepted. She had hoped that Adam might ask her to do something like that but he continued to spend his time with his son and at the house. On Thursday, Adam asked Rose and Ivy if they could care for Keilani while he went to town to purchase clothing for his son and himself.

"Adam, if you buy fabrics you like, we can sew up gowns for Keilani. The pattern for a gown is very simple and it wouldn't be a burden at all." Ivy was actually hoping he would say yes because the rapidly approaching nuptials had her getting more and more nervous. Rose noticed.

"Please say yes, Adam. Ivy is like a cat on a hot stove these days. We need something for her to do to keep her mind off of Saturday."

With the urging of both, Adam said he would do that. He handed Keilani over to Rose and was relieved when the boy smiled at her. It was clear his son favored Rose over Ivy which made Adam wonder if it was because her color so resembled the wet nurse the boy had had for over five months. Adam had a lot to think about as he rode to town and then did his shopping. So much was changing so fast. He had come home expecting to be comforted by the familiar routines but had found instead that so much seemed to be changing. And he had surprised himself with his attraction to Rose that he could no longer deny to himself. Maybe his father was correct and he needed to grieve and move on. Keilani certainly needed a mother, and perhaps Adam ought to be looking for a suitable candidate. He wasn't sure he could fall in love at this point, but marrying for love hadn't worked out so well for him anyway. Perhaps marrying someone you liked to provide a mother for your child would work out even better.

As Adam left the mercantile with bolts of cloth, he heard some boys yelling the same things he had heard Sunday. This time he didn't have his baby on his arm so he advanced toward the boys who suddenly didn't feel so brave and ran away. His troubles weren't over that easily however.

"So you're a might touchy yet, ain't ya Cartwright?"

Turning slowly, Adam saw John Miller and two of his friends. "Must have been your boy. Ignorance like that is hard to teach. Takes someone with a lot of it to pass it on."

"You still got that smart mouth. You may have noticed I have two friends."

"Surprised you could find that many, but there's no accounting for taste."

"You talk so smart but you bedded down with a darky and got a darky bastard. You gonna try to act all high and mighty when you been rutting with trash like that?"

It was unlikely that John ever saw the fist coming. In seconds he was down in the street holding his nose as blood streamed down onto his shirt. His friends grabbed Adam and threw him against the wall of the store stunning him. Then they held Adam against the wall as John came up and began battering him with his fists.

"Stop that right now. You're all a gonna end up in my jail." Firing his pistol for emphasis, Roy got the three men to back off. Adam sank down on his heels. "Now who's gonna tell me why you three was beating up on one upstanding citizen here?"

"He started it, Sheriff. We was just helping John defend hisself."

"Looked to me like you was holding Adam so he couldn't fight back, and John was pounding him."

"Well, that mighta been what happened after he attacked John."

"And I suppose John didn't say something nasty to get it all started either? Now you each owe twenty dollars for disturbing the peace, or you can spend three days in jail. What's it gonna be?"

"Sheriff, you know ain't one of us got any money since the mines started closing."

"Well then I'm guessing you just chose to spend three days in jail. You head on over there now and don't make me come looking for ya neither or it's a gonna double. I'll be there as soon as I get Adam to the Doc's office."

"Don't he gotta pay too?"

"He will, but he needs some help first. Now git." Bending down, Roy went to help Adam up, but he pushed Roy's help away and struggled to his feet. When he attempted to walk to his horse though, he began to fall, and Roy caught him. "Now you gonna let me help you to the Doc's office?"

Reluctantly Adam nodded. Roy walked slowly with him as he wrapped his arms around his ribs and tried to breathe shallowly.

As expected, Paul determined he had injuries to his ribs requiring a tight wrapping. He cleaned up a few cuts and abrasions too. Paul wanted Adam to stay in town but knew he wouldn't. "I'm riding out to check on Mabel. She's had a hard time recovering from having that baby. You can ride in my carriage and I'll tie your horse behind. Don't argue with me or I'll have Roy put you in one of those cells to keep you from riding your horse." Unfortunately for Adam, he knew Paul meant that literally. He climbed into the carriage with Paul's help. Paul drove carefully and even slower than his usual pace. He could feel Adam next to him tense up with the pain when they did hit any small bump in the road, and for the entire trip, Adam struggled to breathe shallowly to minimize the severe discomfort. Mercifully, the ranch house finally came into view. As Paul drove into the yard, there was activity that was typical at the end of a workday on a ranch. One of the hands saw that Adam was injured and went to the house to inform the family. Adam was attempting to climb out of the carriage when Ben and Hoss got there to assist him.

"What happened?"

"Ben, Adam got into a tussle with John Miller and his friends. You know how tense everything is in town with the mines being shut down for so long. Lots of miners have left, but some are still around and waiting for work. They're a sour bunch. Adam's ribcage is bruised but I don't think there are any cracked ribs. It will be painful for a few days, but he should feel a lot better by early next week."

"You don't have to talk like I'm not here."

"I know you wouldn't tell your father, so I'm saving him the trouble of playing a guessing game or waiting until Roy tells him what happened. Now I need to go check on Mabel. Get him in the house and get him to rest, and good luck with that."

As Paul walked away, Hoss wrapped an arm around Adam to help him to the house. Ben asked one of the hands to take care of his horse. Adam got Hoss to stop and whispered that he wanted the packages in the house. Once that was taken care of, and Adam was seated in a chair, Ben wanted to know more.

"You got in a brawl in town two days before your brother's wedding. What could have made you do that?"

"John insulted my wife and my son with vile things. I couldn't let the things he said stand."

"Adam, I know you're a proud man, but you have got to get hold of that temper. You cannot fight every man who insults your wife and son."

"I can try."

Rose had to stifle a laugh at that point. Ivy noticed and shook her head. Rose would do exactly the same as Adam in such a circumstance. Ben walked away in disgust and sat at his desk finishing the work that had been interrupted by Adam's arrival home. As Adam caught his breath and got the pain under control, he asked about Keilani, and Ivy answered.

"K.C. is with Hoss in the washroom. He made quite a mess, and needed a bath. Hoss volunteered."

"Casey?"

"No, K and C, K.C. for Keilani Cartwright. Hannibal refers to him that way cause he has trouble remembering his name. It's kinda catchy so more of us are using it. We don't mean to offend you. I hope you don't mind."

"No, it's all right. I'll call him Keilani though. The packages have cloth that you said you could use for Keilani's gowns. I bought two very nice ones for Saturday so he looks good at the wedding. At the rate he wets or soils them, I could use quite a few. He's also too big for some of them now too."

"Adam, we might be able to make those bigger so he can wear them longer. Ivy is very talented doing things like that. I'm better working on making new ones."

"Thank you, ladies. I am very grateful."

There was no more trouble before the wedding. On Saturday morning, Adam was up early and had his son playing on the floor by the fireplace as he had breakfast. Ben walked down and had to ask a question.

"Isn't he hungry in the morning?"

"Yes, Pa, but he already had a bowl of hot rice cereal. I want him tuckered out so he takes a nap early, and then he should be in a good mood for the wedding. I know I find it rather irritating when there's a fussing baby as people are pledging their troth."

Ben had to agree to that. Adam was feeling better after just two days. He could breathe normally and hoped to have the wrappings removed today so that he might have at least a dance or two at Hoss' wedding celebration. Hoss came down stairs next and asked the same question Ben had and got the same explanation. The next three people down the stairs also asked why Keilani was playing on the floor while Adam was eating, but now there were three who could explain so Adam didn't have to continue repeating himself.

Feeling a bit nauseous, Ivy only picked at her food. Ben told her very kindly that it was his experience that not eating on your wedding morning only made you feel more and more sickly as the day went on. She did force herself to eat a whole flapjack then and drank some milk. Hop Sing brought some hot tea for Ivy to sip and that helped immensely as well. Ivy's father had yet to arrive, and that was making Ivy the most nervous. She had worried since they left Texas about how the reunion of her father and Rose would be, and the longer she had to worry about that, the more she felt sick to her stomach. And now there was the additional worry that he might not come at all. There had been no word from him.

Chapter 19

As the hour of the wedding approached and everyone dressed for the occasion, Ivy sat in her room with Rose. There was a soft knock on the door, and Rose answered. It was Adam.

"I come bearing a gift. I believe you need something old and something new, something borrowed and something blue. I have the new, but you'll have to have someone else supply the others." Adam handed a box to Rose to give to Ivy. Ivy opened it and gasped. It was a triple strand string of pearls. She stood then and went to Adam to kiss him on the cheek.

Ben walked up behind them then. "Is there something I should be telling Hoss?"

"Oh no, Mr. Cartwright, it's just that Adam gave me this string of pearls and it is so beautiful. But, Adam, it's too much. Perhaps this could be the borrowed item?"

"I have treasures in that trunk in my room to share with my family. As of today, you are family. They're yours."

Ivy kissed Adam once more on the cheek. He smiled and said he needed to get back to his son. Rose shook her head for Adam was certainly full of surprises. She was finding this complex man more intriguing each day. He had a lot of layers and sides to him.

Ben had a small box too. Rose took that to Ivy who opened it to find a small brooch. "That belonged to Hoss' mother. It is yours now. So it would appear you have something old and something new."

Rose handed a blue lace handkerchief to her sister. "And now something borrowed and something blue."

Almost in tears at that point, Ivy thanked them both. "Is my father here yet?"

"I'm sorry, Ivy, he is not. I sent a hand to town to look for him. Hopefully he will be here soon." Ben's heart went out to the young lady.

"Mr. Cartwright, who will walk me to Hoss if my father doesn't come?"

"I'm sure we won't need to ask anyone, but to make you feel better, Roy Coffee is the closest to another father that my sons could have had. I'm sure he would be willing to do that for you should it be necessary."

"Thank you. I feel a little bit better already."

As guests arrived and filled the great room downstairs, Charles still wasn't there. Ben told Roy that he might be needed, and Roy agreed. Ben delayed the wedding for ten minutes he said because the ladies needed a few more minutes with the dress. Finally, it was time and a commotion outside led to Charles being led inside by Candy who had been waiting and hoping. Ben escorted Charles up the stairs introducing himself on the way. Once he got to Ivy's bedroom, Ben knocked and Rose opened the door. Her face became a mask, but Ivy rushed into her father's arms.

"Papa, you made it. You said you would, and you did, but I was so worried. What happened? You were supposed to be here days ago."

"Storms, broken down stages, missed connections, and just about anything you could imagine. I'm here now though, and I'm ready to walk my daughter to her husband. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready. Rose is going first, and we'll walk right behind her. Hoss should be standing right in front of the fireplace."

"He is. No one could miss him even in a crowded room." Taking his daughter's arm, Charles led her down the hallway to the stairs and down to her husband-to-be. Joe stood at Hoss' side, and Ben and Adam stood in the first row of guests. Charles came to stand on the other side of Ben as the two fathers watched their children wed. It was a wonderful moment.

After the ceremony, Hoss kissed the bride to a whistle from Joe that embarrassed the big man. Then Adam and Ben congratulated the couple as did Rose and Charles. Next up, the newlyweds had to make the rounds of the room accepting congratulations from all the guests. Once that was completed, the wedding party moved outside for music, dancing, and food. There were tables lining one side of the yard and those would soon be piled with mountains of food Hoss had requested. There were going to be beef roasts, pork roasts, and ham along with a multitude of side dishes.

The musicians tuned up and started to play. Rose was surprised again when Adam walked outside with a guitar and sat with the musicians and played along. Mabel was watching Keilani as well as her baby so Adam was free for the dance. Rose was asked to dance by a number of men, and then Joe came to claim the dances he said she had promised to him. She didn't remember making such promises but it did free her from having to dance with so many strangers. After several dances with Joe and fending off his attempts to pull her ever closer to him as they danced, Rose begged off and said she needed to sit down for a bit. She walked to the porch and sat on a chair near the musicians ostensibly to listen to the music and rest, but she did have a curiosity about Adam now that was growing. She was beginning to regret that she had spent so much time with Joe and so little with Adam. She hoped that before she left on Monday, they might have a chance to talk. But it wasn't going to happen then because Joe brought her a glass of punch and a plate of food. As soon as he got some for himself, he was right back at her side chattering away.

As soon as Rose finished the plate of food, Joe insisted it was time to dance again. After another half dozen dances with the energetic young man, Rose again asked for a break. This time it was Charles who came to talk with her.

"I noticed that your room has been cleaned of all those things I thought you held most dear. Does this mean that you are not returning home?"

"Home? It hasn't been my home since Mama died."

"I did the best I could for you. I hope you do think of the Niven ranch as your home."

"I heard what you said to Hoss. I was coming down the stairs and I heard. You think of me as Comanche. You said you were not my father, and that I knew that. Well I didn't know, but I do now. I won't ever be in your home again."

"After everything I did for you, I think you owed me the courtesy of telling me that instead of running off into the night. I would have provided you with means to support yourself. I would never have turned you out. In fact, I will still do that if you ask. You need to tell me what you want. I can't read your mind. You are my wife's daughter, and I have always felt responsible for you."

"But you never loved me."

"No, I never loved you as a daughter, but I do love you and want the best life for you that you can find. I will do what I can to help you. Just because you are not my heir does not mean that I don't feel responsible for you and want to help you."

During a lull in the music as the musicians went to get food and drink, Adam sat and waited for Rose. He wanted to ask her for a dance. Instead he heard the conversation with her father. He didn't understand all of it, but he understood enough. Now he was even more intrigued with her than before. Apparently she had a much more difficult background than he had imagined. No wonder she had little sympathy for his plight. She had suffered too, and picked herself up and moved on, and this latest problem seemed like it must have been very recent for her father to be talking the way he was. No he amended his thought. Charles was not her father but she had the same mother as Ivy, and her father thought of her as Comanche which only left one conclusion to draw. Her mother had been taken by the Comanche and had been with child or bore a child before she was rescued. Adam knew there had been a lot of captures in Texas of women and children by the Comanche. Now more and more of Rose made sense to him. It explained why she was so much darker than her sister and only resembled her a little. They did not have the same father, and Rose's father was a different race. Now that he knew it, he could see the evidence of it. However he had been eavesdropping so how much he could discuss with her was limited unless he admitted his action.

When Charles walked away, and Rose sat forlornly and alone, Adam moved to her side. The musicians had started up again. Adam asked Rose to dance, and she accepted, but there was no light in her eye and no spring in her step any longer. It was a slow dance, and Adam held her as close as was polite with his hand on her back and her hand clasped in his other hand. He moved as gracefully as he could with a partner who had lost her zest for celebrating. At the end of the dance, he stopped near the outside of the dancing area and kept her hand in his.

"Would you like to take a break and walk with me?"

"I really don't have the energy to do anything."

"Then we'll walk to the garden, and we can sit and talk or just enjoy the scenery. You look like you need a break."

"Thank you, I do. And thank you for being understanding."

Walking hand-in-hand to the garden, Adam was quiet and let Rose relax. Once they got to the bench, he allowed her to sit first, and then he sat far enough away not to be threatening. He knew she needed time to relax and think so he said nothing.

"You're good at this."

"At being quiet?"

"No, at silence that drives me crazy so I have to talk."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel that way. I'll jabber on about something if you like, but I have to warn you, I'm not nearly as good at that as Joe is."

"Well tell me about your education then. I heard you went to college."

So Adam talked about going to school in Boston, living with his grandfather during much of that time, and working with him when he wasn't in school. He told of how he learned that he could do well on his own, but missed his family and the Ponderosa very much.

"And yet, you left again."

"Yes, but just like that time, the plan was that I would return. I never intended to leave for good although there were a few times when I thought I wouldn't make it back."

"What happened?"

"We got caught in a typhoon after we left China. We weren't even in the heart of it, and I thought I would die. I couldn't imagine how a wooden ship could survive the pounding we took. You could hear timbers cracking, and I waited each time for one to give way completely and the ship to go down. I prayed more and more sincerely than I ever did before that time. We got out of the storm to head toward Guam but we were so far off course, we ended up in the Gilbert Islands which are very small islands, coral atolls mostly, I guess. They're beautiful. I sketched a lot there, and painted the fish I saw on the reefs. I have books and books of sketches. I could show you some time."

"I would like that very much. I love to travel and hear about distant places too. Now you said a few times. What other time did you think you might not make it back?"

"When I found out my wife had leprosy. I knew then that I had likely been exposed either by being with her or by being with the people who had infected her. Then I spent months with my son. If he had it, then I would have been exposed that way too. I wrote a letter to my family and sent it with Hop Sing. I told him only to give it to my family if I did not return."

"Because if you did not return, it would mean that you were dying or already dead."

"Yes, and I had things that I wanted to say to them if I had the time. One never knows when the end will come, but if you know it might be there, then the clarity of what you want to say is amazing. I don't think I was ever able to express myself as well as I did in that letter. I kept it and put it in my room. Should anything ever happen to me, my last thoughts for my family would be the same."

"It's a bit morbid to think that way, but I understand what you're saying. It would be good to know that your last thoughts were of them and your love for them."

"Of course, but what if it was all the things about them that irritated me the most?"

Startled at first by that comment, Rose saw the eyes and knew he was kidding her. She punched him in the arm.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"Oh, that didn't hurt, you big sissy, and you were teasing me so you deserved that.

"I did want to see you smile and it worked. Don't I get a thank you for that?" Adam leaned toward Rose and she leaned a bit toward him as they were talking. For a few moments, there was no talking and Adam lightly kissed Rose. He leaned back, and waited for her response. He didn't know her well enough to even guess how she would respond. He hoped that he had not made her angry. He did see that her eyes were closed and she didn't look angry.

"That was nice. I would like another if you have one to spare."

Adam moved closer and wrapped an arm around Rose before kissing her again. He continued the light kisses but increased the pressure a bit. When she didn't move away but wrapped an arm around his neck, he teased her lips with his tongue until he got them to open. He kissed her deeply and sensuously as he felt her mold her body to his. She began to kiss him the same way, and he felt like a jolt of energy had rushed through him. He pulled away, and reached up to caress her cheek.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take advantage of you when you were feeling down. We should get back to the dance."

Adam was gracious and gentle, but Rose was wondering what the heck had happened. She was enjoying the kissing and the holding when he had suddenly stopped. It was so abrupt she had no idea what had happened. He didn't seem upset, but something had changed. This moment would be on her mind for a while. It was another enigma with this complicated man. She knew he would be a challenge, but she did enjoy challenges.

When Adam led Rose back to the dance, the musicians were just starting another slow dance. Adam looked at Rose as if to ask her, and she stepped to his side and said a soft yes. Leading her, Adam held her hand as before, but when she felt his hand on her back, she moved closer to him and was rewarded with that grin as she gazed up at him. Hoss and Ivy watched as Adam and Rose danced, and they had seen Joe looking for Rose earlier.

"Oh, oh, I hope Pa's ready to handle this one."

"She does look very comfortable dancing with Adam."

"I ain't seen him grin like that since before he left for China neither. Joe ain't gonna like this one bit. Now where's Pa when ya need him. I know Joe's gonna try to cut in, and Adam ain't gonna like it."

It happened mostly as Hoss predicted, except it was Hoss' wedding and Adam didn't want to make a scene. He reluctantly let go of Rose, and Joe stepped in to finish the dance. Rose was gracious and kept her eyes on Joe, but was disappointed too. Just when Adam had softened up and shown a gentler, nicer side, this had happened. Rose had seen that mask drop into place again and doubted that if she went to Adam now, there would be any conversation like they had had earlier. Adam had rejoined the musicians and had that serious look about him as if he was all business. On the inside though his emotions were churning. He was feeling guilty that only five months after his wife's death, he was interested in another woman, and yet he was jealous too as he watched Rose dance with Joe. She seemed very interested in Joe so he thought that perhaps she had just been being kind to him earlier. He was feeling vulnerable and didn't like feeling that way. He resolved to keep his distance until she left. He would get out of Joe's way.

As dusk grew near, Hoss and Ivy prepared to leave for their honeymoon. Hoss had a cabin up in part of the Ponderosa that was untouched by cattle herds and loggers. He and Ivy planned to spend a few days in that pristine meadow. There were toasts made by both fathers and by Joe. The guests cheered as Hoss lifted Ivy into a carriage and drove out of the yard. Hoss was thinking that if they hurried, they would be all settled in the cabin before it was too dark. Hannibal and Hop Sing began to clean up. Food was packed into containers that were to be taken to families the next morning before church. Some of the guests volunteered for those duties to help out. Adam retrieved Keilani from Mabel who said he had been no problem. Joe and the hands cleared away tables and took down the paper lanterns and then went inside to move the furniture back into place.

Returning downstairs after putting Keilani in his cradle, Adam was confronted by Joe. Rose had gone to her room, and Joe had a feeling that something had changed between them.

"I saw you with Rose. Now I've been spending a lot of time with her, and I don't appreciate you cutting in. I don't want to lose her."

"Joe, it's not a contest. There are no winners and no losers. We were talking."

"I saw you kissing her. When did kissing get to be part of talking?"

"Joe, I don't know why you're so angry. I didn't know that you were serious about Rose. If you are, that's fine with me, but she's planning to leave on Monday, isn't she?"

"Well, I'm going to invite her to come back here. I wanted to ask her tonight, but you interfered with my plans."

"I had no way of knowing your plans. Do you have any idea how Rose feels about this?"

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that you need to stay away."

Raising his hands as if in surrender, Adam walked outside. Through the open door, Ben had heard his sons. He went in to speak with Joe. He was concerned again that Joe was rushing into something.

"Joe, I heard what you said to Adam. Now it wasn't really eavesdropping when someone speaks that loudly. Are you sure you're in love with Rose? Because if you aren't, you could be making some big problems in this family."

"I'm sure, but Rose has had a hard time of it lately, and I think it may take her some time. But Pa, we've been together almost every day since she was here. Then Adam steps in tonight to steal her away from me."

"Well, like Adam, I had no idea that Rose was anything more than a friend to you. I have seen nothing in her behavior to indicate that she sees you as a romantic interest. Now, you said she was kissing Adam."

"He was kissing her!"

"Well, however it was, but I think kissing takes two. I don't mean to be too personal, but have you kissed Rose because I certainly have not seen any indication that your relationship was other than being friends?"

"Well, I wanted to tonight but Adam beat me to it."

"Joe, is this infatuation or love? She's an attractive woman, but there's more to love than attraction. Earlier it sounded like you think this is some contest between you and Adam. This is between you and Rose to sort out how you feel about each other. What do you and Rose have in common? Have you talked of your dreams for the future? And you really do need to find out what Rose wants."

All of it made so much sense to Joe, but he didn't want it to. He had to admit that Adam's earlier comment that it wasn't a contest had hit home too. Frustrated, he had nothing more to say. Ben walked outside to find Adam. He suspected Adam was far more conflicted than Joe was. He found him leaning up against the corral fence with his head down. It was pretty much what he had expected. Adam heard his father walk up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stir up any trouble. I didn't know that Joe wanted Rose for his own, but if I had been paying attention, I guess I should have known."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I didn't know either, and from what I heard from Joe, Rose was also not aware of his feelings."

Adam dropped his head and massaged the back of his neck. Ben put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's not too soon. It happens when it happens. Alamea sounds like she was a wonderful, loving person. Don't you think she would want you to be happy?"

"Frankly, I don't know what to think or feel right about now. There's so much going on. I have Keilani and he has to be my first concern. And then there's Joe. We were starting to get along so much better, and now that's a mess again."

"I don't think it's a mess. I think Joe needs a little time. Just relax and get some sleep. We'll see what tomorrow brings."

Father and son walked to the house together and locked up for the night before retiring. Adam of course was up with Keilani several hours later. He looked forward to the day when his son could sleep through the night and not wet or soil himself so often. At breakfast the next morning, Adam was tired and quiet, and Rose hardly spoke either. Adam reached out to grab a flapjack, and Joe went to spear it before he could get it. With a deep sigh, Adam grabbed a biscuit instead, covered it in jelly, and began feeding it to his son and that made Joe feel guilty.

The family went to church services, and the same hooligans who had previously harassed Adam did it again. He couldn't do anything about it, but he knew it would hurt even more when his son was old enough to understand it. He was quiet for the rest of the day spending time with his son and reading while Keilani slept.

After lunch, Joe asked Rose to go for a ride. She agreed and Joe hitched up the buggy and asked Hop Sing for a picnic basket with wine and a dessert. He put that and a blanket in the boot of the carriage, and helped Rose up into the carriage with his hands holding her waist. Joe was thinking of how he could make a move on Rose to kiss her and perhaps more while Rose was thinking about how she needed to let Joe know she wasn't interested in any more than friendship with him. It didn't go well.

"It's Adam, isn't it? I knew it when I saw him with you last night."

"Joe, it isn't about last night. It's just that I don't feel that way about you. You have been very kind, and I've enjoyed our time together, but it isn't meant to be between us. We don't have enough in common."

"And I suppose you have more in common with Adam."

"This isn't a contest. Maybe we should go back now. I have to pack everything up. I'm leaving tomorrow for Laramie."

"Rose, I want you to come back."

"Joe, if I come back, it won't be to be your gal. That isn't going to happen. And with as much trouble as I've caused, it might be best if I don't come back."

"Ivy will miss you terribly. I know I missed Adam an awful lot when he was gone."

"Maybe that's what you should be thinking about now. Your brother needs a lot of support and understanding especially with what he faces every time he leaves this ranch. I understand how he feels more than most do."

"Why is that?"

"Joe, I'm half Comanche. My father is not Charles Niven. My father is a Comanche warrior. And that look on your face right there is all the more reason we won't be together. You see me differently now."

"Of course I do, but that doesn't change how I feel about you."

"But Joe, it does. When you look at me now, you're thinking about me being part Comanche."

"Well, I was thinking that he must have been one handsome warrior to have a daughter like you. I knew your mother had to have been pretty too even back when I thought Charles was your father. Ivy luckily doesn't look like him either."

"Joe, I want to be with a man who sees me as Rose, as a woman, not as a part white, part Comanche woman. I want a man who understands what it feels like to hear the name calling and get the nasty looks. I want a man who cares what I want and not only what he wants."

"I'm not sure there's a man out there like that."

"But Joe, there is."

"I could try to be a man like that?"

"Joe, please be honest: if I told you I preferred Adam to you, would you be angry at him or happy for me?"

"Are you saying you prefer him?"

"Joe, you're angry, aren't you?"

"Well, of course, I'm angry."

"Joe, when you understand why you're so angry, you'll be making a big step toward finding the woman you want. But right now, you're not ready to share your life with a woman. You want to possess a woman. You have to get to the point where you want to be with a woman, and she wants to be with you. That can happen suddenly or develop over time, but getting angry if it doesn't happen is pointless."

Riding in silence for a time, Joe started to understand. "When Adam went away, I was happy for him even though I knew I would miss him. I knew it was something he needed to do to be happy, so I told him to do it. You're saying that when I feel that way about a woman, that's love."

"That would certainly be a sign of it."

"Adam's an ornery cuss sometimes and he can be mean and spiteful when he wants to, and I hate it when he acts all superior and smart and all. But if you give him a chance, he's also the most loyal and compassionate person I know. He'll stand by your side no matter what."

"I don't know if Adam is ready to love yet. He's got a lot of pain inside of him yet."

"Yeah, and he's real worried about his son, and how people will treat him when he's older."

"So don't let this come between you."

Smiling then, Joe drove into the yard of the Ponderosa. Adam was sitting on the porch with Keilani. Seeing Rose and Joe chatting and smiling was a bit disappointing, but he was glad that she had shed that sad look. He was thinking that if Joe made her happy, then that's the way it had to be. As they came up to the porch, he excused himself saying he had to take Keilani in and change him.

Looking at Rose, Joe only had one more thing to say. "Good luck. It's not going to be easy."

The next morning, Rose left for Laramie. There had been only light conversation the night before and polite goodbyes in the morning. Rose had hoped for more of a reaction from Adam, but got none. Joe shrugged his shoulders when Adam said little except goodbye and walked in the house just before Rose left. Joe looked at Rose and made a face. Sometimes it was impossible to know what his oldest brother was thinking. At this point, Joe would have expected him to say something to make Rose want to come back, but he had said little and had that mask on that hid his emotions so effectively. Rose had hoped for more of a response, and began to wonder if Adam felt for her the way she was beginning to feel for him. She wanted him to acknowledge that he would miss her if she was gone, but he acted as if that wasn't important to him at all. She rode away wondering if she should ever consider coming back.

Chapter 20

On Tuesday, Adam started back into ranch work full time. Hoss and Ivy were expected back that day, and they would be settling in at the house. Mabel was taking care of Keilani during the day. Adam planned to be back for lunch every day to reassure his son that he had not been abandoned. Because there seemed to be a loss of a few cattle from the southeast pasture every few day, Ben wanted a close count of that area to try to determine if the count was off or if there were rustlers stealing regularly and had assigned that as his first task. As Adam rode into the southeast pasture, John Miller and his friends grinned at each other. They could easily overpower one cowboy and that the cowboy was Adam Cartwright made it all the more fun to anticipate. They could pay him back for the three days each of them had spent in jail. They made a plan and then moved out to carry it out.

As Adam rode up a rise to start the count, he heard a rider coming up behind him. The man was not someone he recognized at first, but once he was close, Adam moved to clear his pistol but it was already too late. A rifle shot hit the dirt in front of him and he had to rein in Sport to stop him from rearing.

"Drop the pistol, or you get dropped."

As another rider emerged from the trees and the rifleman made his presence known by stepping out at another point, Adam complied. He couldn't hope to overcome all three when they were all in different locations.

"Now get down off your horse and keep your hands up above your head."

Adam did that as well. When John Miller rode up, Adam thought that perhaps he should have fought it out because John had a look that portended nothing but a nasty result for Adam.

As the third man rode up to them, John dismounted and walked up behind Adam and slammed his rifle butt into his lower back sending him crashing to the ground. He had already pocketed Adam's pistol and now had incapacitated him. For a moment, Adam had no idea what they intended to do, but he felt them pick up his left foot and tie a lariat around it. When he saw John tie the lariat to the pommel of the saddle on Sport, he knew what they intended.

"So far, all you've done is assault and threaten me. If you do this, you're looking at hanging."

"Oh, yeah, who they gonna call for witnesses? Your horse?"

The three men laughed, and John pulled a quirt from his saddle. He walked to Sport and slashed him over the rump. Sport only jumped with the first slash but that was enough to jerk Adam a painful few yards. Trembling and nervous, Sport stood warily until John slashed the quirt over the welt he had already made. That made the horse take off running dragging Adam behind it. One of John's friends grabbed the quirt from John's hands and mounted up to chase after Sport who was running across the pasture dragging Adam through the grass and occasional small stones and gravel. The man caught up to Sport turning him toward the trees and struck him again making the horse scream its dismay and run faster. The last the three men saw was Sport running into the trees dragging Adam by one leg as he twisted, turned, and bounced along behind the panicked animal.

"They won't even know he's missing until late today. Let's get some of them cows and head outta here."

"Dontcha wanta go look see what he looks like by now?"

"Nah, as soon as he tires out, his head'll start bouncing on the ground knocking those brains out on those rocks up that way. Won't be much to see. I heard that somebody did this once just like we done, and the head got tore clean off when it hit some rocks."

The men snickered and then rode out to collect some cattle before leaving. They had customers who didn't mind the brand as long as the cows were fat and healthy. It would take a couple of days to get these cows there, and by then they assumed Adam would be buried and no longer a threat to them. They had not counted on the bond between horse and man though. As Sport reached a rocky streambed and found the going difficult, he stopped. Adam was struggling to remain at least semiconscious at that point but knew enough to call out to Sport.

"Good boy, good boy, Sport. Whoa, boy. Just stay there. Whoa, boy. Help will come, boy, help will come."

And then exhaustion and shock caused Adam to succumb to unconsciousness. He laid there for hours probably as his horse shifted uneasily feeling the tension of the rope tied to its saddle and the smell of blood, but also knowing by the smell that the man lying there was his friend and master and he had told him to be still. Late in the afternoon Adam awoke to searing pain in his leg and hip. It was raining lightly and Sport was getting nervous and anxious to leave. Adam talked to him softly and the pressure eased.

More aware of his circumstances now than he had been earlier, Adam assessed his situation. He couldn't move without risking losing consciousness. The small movements he had made told him that. And great effort to move would fail. He also looked around and realized he was lying in a dry streambed and rain was falling on him. For the first time since Sport had started to run through the trees and Adam had twisted and turned to avoid slamming into a tree trunk that was certain death, he was afraid. If the rain continued to fall, there would be a flow of water through the streambed or even a flash flood. For him, it didn't matter which one it would be because he could survive neither. He prayed fervently not only for himself but for his son. He could not believe that God would take away both of his son's parents before he was even a year old. Then mercifully he passed out again.

At the ranch house, Ben was very worried. Adam had said he would be back for lunch. He had missed that and a hand sent to the pasture had returned saying that Adam was not there. When Hoss came home early with his bride, he was all smiles and joy until he detected the worry indicated by the furrow in Ben's brow and heard a crying Keilani whom Mabel could not seem to soothe.

"Pa, what's wrong? We come home early cause of the rain, but you look like there's something bothering you something fierce. It ain't us, so who is it?"

"Adam was supposed to be home hours ago. Keilani is inconsolable. He hasn't been away from Adam this long in months. Adam knew that before he left. Something must have happened, but no one has seen him."

"Pa, you know Adam's word is as good as gold. Something musta happened. I'll get some men and go look. I won't come home without him."

As Hoss was saddling up Chubb, Joe and Candy rode in. Although wet and tired, they agreed with Hoss that they needed to go search. Three other men volunteered to go, and the six of them rode to where Adam was supposed to be. A thorough search of the area by then men turned up nothing. As they rode to where Hoss sat on a rise, they saw him raise a hand. Then he signaled them to ride around him and up.

"What's up, Hoss? Not even you can track in the rain."

"Look that way. What do ya see?"

As the men looked where Hoss pointed, there was a clear path of grass matted down. It moved in a haphazard line to the trees.

Hoss asked the only question he had. "What does that look like to you?"

Candy answered immediately. "Looks like something was dragged through there."

Then Joe and several of them said the same thing almost simultaneously. "Or someone."

Hoss took the lead. "Stay behind me and to the side of the trail. Ifn I lose it, I want to be able to come back and see the direction of it again."

Where the growth of trees was dense, they lost the trail. Using the direction they had been traveling, they split up to create a search pattern. The rain was falling more heavily and it made visibility worse. They searched but tried to keep the man on either side in sight so that no area was missed. Hoss was the first to think he saw something. He began to ride faster and then yelled when he knew it was Sport. All the men converged on the area at nearly the same time. Hoss and Joe leaped from their horses to climb down the stream bank. Adam lay unmoving in about six inches of water. Hoss checked his chest first and was relieved to feel a heartbeat and breathing.

"You men get a blanket down here. We're gonna have to lift him and carry him outta here right quick."

Busy untying the lariat from Adam's ankle, Joe almost stopped when Adam cried out. Hoss signaled for him to continue. He could see that Adam had multiple injuries and assumed any movement would hurt even those meant to help. Joe led Sport up the stream to where there was a more gentle incline and led him out. He was angry when he saw the bloody welts on the horse's rump. There was no doubt what had happened and every likelihood that whoever had done it had meant for Adam to die.

Meanwhile Hoss had been assessing Adam's condition. He was relieved that there appeared to be no broken ribs and no severe head injuries, but his left leg was twisted and any movement of that leg made Adam cry out in pain. He was bleeding from multiple nasty cuts and abrasions but again none were severe or life-threatening from what Hoss could determine. Both wrists were swollen and his hands were bruised and bloody. Hoss could only surmise that he had pushed himself away from deadly obstacles with his hands and arms and had taken a beating because of it.

Once the men had the blanket down by Adam, Hoss had them fold it in half and lay it next to him. He told them it didn't matter if it got wet. It was only to carry him out of the stream before the water got any deeper. "All right now, I need each of you to slide your hands under him real careful like. Joe I need you to help me with his left leg. It's pretty bad. Candy you take his head and his shoulders. All right on the count of three we're gonna move him to that blanket and don't stop ifn he hollers cause I'm pretty sure he's gonna. One, two, three." As expected Adam reacted with cries of pain and then fell limp when they lowered him to the blanket. Now grab a hold of the blanket real tight. We're gonna walk to where Joe took Sport out before."

Once they had Adam up out of the water, Hoss tried to determine what they should do next. One of the men had a tarp on the back of his horse because he had been working in the high pastures for a week. Hoss decided they would erect a basic lean-to over Adam, get the wet clothes off of him, and try to get a dry bed roll over him. They sent one of the men back to the ranch house to get a wagon telling him to bring the one with the canvas cover and to put some mattresses in the back. With so much to do, two men rode back. Candy and the other hand went looking for some stout branches to use for a basic lean-to. Within a half hour, they had a basic frame up over Adam and had stretched the tarp over it to create a shelter. The other hand was sent to town then to get the doctor.

The next job was more difficult. They started to cut his clothing from him and expose his injuries. As expected, the left leg looked bad. It was swollen in a couple of places and bruised severely. They assumed his leg was broken in those two places. They used the pieces of clothing they cut away to bind the worst of his wounds and to splint his leg. He groaned or cried out as they worked but thankfully never achieved full consciousness. The hand who had the tarp had the only dry bed roll, so they used that next to try to warm him up some. They pulled the wet blanket away and replaced it with half of the dry one, and then pulled the other half up and over him. He was cold to the touch, but his heartbeat was still strong and his breathing seemed normal. Hoss pulled the saddle from Sport and used the horse blanket as another layer for Adam. Then he did the same to Chubb. With the extra warm blankets and the shelter, Adam did seem somewhat warmer after a time.

Once the wagon arrived with Ben driving, the men lifted Adam and carried him to the wagon lifting him up high enough that Ben and Hoss could move with him further inside the wagon before they lowered him onto the mattresses. With the canvas in place, the wagon was dry, and with the men inside would soon warm a bit too. If there had been time, Hop Sing would have put bed warmers on the mattresses but that would have to wait until they could get Adam into his bed at home. Driving as fast as he could without jostling the patient, Hoss drove home. He was thinking that Adam couldn't catch a break recently although he wasn't as worried about him as he had been when he first found him. At the ranch house, Hoss drove as close to the house as he could. Ivy and Hop Sing were out on the porch almost immediately. They had prepared the downstairs guest room because from what they had heard of Adam's injuries, it would be a better place to put him.

With groans and cries of pain with every movement and nearly every touch, Ben and the others knew that Adam was in severe pain. They cleaned him up as well as they could, and then placed warmed blankets over him. Hop Sing and Ivy had gotten the room quite warm and soon Adam began to feel warmer to the touch. The warmth however seemed to make him feel more pain for injuries that were partially numbed by the cold now sent stabbing pains through him. When Doctor Martin arrived, he asked everyone to leave the bedroom except for Hop Sing who was then in and out of the room disposing of soiled cloths and dirty water and returning with basins of clean water and clean cloths. After nearly two hours, the doctor came out to let the family know of his evaluation of Adam's condition.

"Adam has a lot of very painful injuries. Most are not serious by themselves but the number of injuries is worrisome. He will be in great pain, and because he does have a mild concussion, I cannot give him anything for the pain. The worst by far is his left leg with multiple injuries. As you guessed, there are two break areas in that leg. The femur, or thigh bone is broken lengthwise. Now that is an extremely painful break but it should heal well. His lower leg bones are broken just below the knee. You've said he was dragged by that leg. That's what caused the injuries but also kept the leg reasonably straight and prevented the bone from breaking through the tissues. That means there is little likelihood of infection from that. But those breaks are among the worst I have ever seen. With those, and the damage to the muscles in that leg, we'll have to wait to see if he can walk."

"Paul, did you mean to say 'if' when you explained that?"

"Yes, Ben, I'm sorry, but I can't see inside his leg to assess the damage. I can tell you that the entire leg is tender to the touch, swollen, bruised, and there are three broken bones there. I've never seen a leg in worse shape after an injury. Now when the swelling goes down and the bones begin to mend, I can give you a better idea of what is likely to happen. Now, that's the best I can do."

"What can we do for him?"

"Other than what you're already doing: get some ice if you can to try to control the swelling in that left leg. It would give him some pain relief as well. He can have an ice pack on any of the areas that are swollen. Other than that, keep him as quiet as you can, push him to drink fluids, and keep him warm and dry. And I know none of those things is going to be easy."

Keilani had been crying on and off since early afternoon and wanted to see his father. Ben carried him in but he wanted to go to Adam and that wasn't something they could do yet. Ben let him touch his father's hand and Adam stirred slightly. Ben was afraid he would awaken and cry out in pain scaring his son, so he took him back out to the great room.

"We've got another little patient here. He may have trouble sleeping away from Adam."

"He can sleep in the same room if that helps. Give him a nice bottle of warm milk. It will help him sleep."

So began the care of Adam in his long recuperation.

Chapter 21

On Saturday, there was a knock on the door, and Joe opened it to find Rose standing there with her bag.

"Am I still welcome here?"

"Of course, you are. But how did you find out so quickly?"

"Find out what? Is Ivy all right? Nothing happened to Ivy, did it?"

Realizing that Rose did not know, Joe tried quickly to calm her fears. "No, no, no, nothing has happened to Ivy. Adam's been hurt. I thought that's why you came back."

"No, I came back because my mother's relatives in Laramie no longer live there. Apparently they moved to California. No one seemed to know exactly where. How is Adam?"

"He's in a lot of pain, but nothing life threatening, thank the Lord."

"What happened to him? He didn't try to break horses or anything like that, did he?"

"No, someone tied him behind his horse and whipped Sport to drag Adam. We found him lying in a streambed later. It was lucky he didn't drown. All he does now is lie there in pain. Doc won't give him anything for the pain because of his head injury."

Looking up the stairs, Rose felt her eyes tear up. "Can I see him?"

"Sure, he's right in here." And Joe led Rose to the guest bedroom where Adam lay. When the door opened, there was whiff of unpleasant smells until the sight of Adam lying pale and fitfully on the bed focused her attention on only him. Ivy had been sitting at his side and jumped up to hug Rose when she saw her. Rose whispered to her.

"He's sleeping or what passes for sleep. It's better than when he's fully awake and groaning in pain."

"Ivy, it smells terrible in here. Hasn't anyone thought to change the bedding or his nightshirt?"

"His left leg is so painful, we're afraid to move it. As for the nightshirt, well, he isn't wearing one. It would require to much movement to take care of, ah, to, ah, well, you know."

"We need to find a way then to change the bedding and air out this room. He can't get well with this smell and this stagnant air."

"Well you can talk to his father about that. He's the one who told us not to jostle him for any reason."

"Where is he? Where is everyone? Joe is the only one I've seen."

"They went out again to see if they could find any sign of who did this. They've been missing cattle in the southeast pasture. They think now that it's rustlers, and that Adam rode right into the middle of what they were doing. Why they were so cruel, no one knows."

"I think it means he knows who those rustlers are. If they did what you said, then they meant to kill him. Those men obviously do not know the bond that can develop between a man and his horse. Adam and Sport are very close. It must have bothered Sport a great deal to have dragged Adam."

Unwilling to let Adam continue to suffer like he was, Rose went to talk with Hop Sing. He brewed up a tea to help Adam sleep more deeply. Rose brought it to the bedroom and asked to sit next to Adam where she patiently spooned the liquid into his mouth. He was clearly not asleep for he accepted the liquid and swallowed each time. Rose talked softly to him, and did her best to get him to relax for she knew the movements he was making were probably increasing the pain level and the movement. It was a vicious cycle and she needed to get him to reverse it so he could truly rest. After he finished the tea, Rose pulled the covers down and placed her hand on his chest moving it lightly in a circle massaging his chest. As he focused on her touch, he lost some of the awareness of the pain he was in. That and the tea soon had him sleeping more deeply. When his breathing had settled into a slower rhythm, Rose told Ivy and Joe that they were going to change the linens.

"It's going to be a very slow process. Now Joe, Ivy has told me that Adam is not wearing anything, so if you would remove the top covers and place a towel over his privates, then we'll come back in the room to do the rest with you."

Arriving with clean linens, Hop Sing closed the door, and the two ladies waited. Once the door was open, they entered and both were shocked to see the bruising and abrasions on his body, and the terrible condition of his left leg. It took a moment for both of them to regain their composure. Then Rose explained how they would remove the bottom sheet and in a reverse procedure roll in a clean one. It was similar to how they had done this before on the Ponderosa, but this method did not require rolling the patient on his side for in Adam's condition, that would have been torture. No, instead they took advantage of the three small pairs of hands they had and slid under his body and lifted part of him very carefully as Joe pulled that section of sheet free and pulled the clean sheet under him. It was an extremely long and laborious process but well worth it for all of them as Adam hardly reacted to each move. Finally, they had the clean sheet in place. Rose thought it best if they waited till later to put clean cases on the pillows. Then she and Ivy placed a clean sheet and a light blanket over Adam covering the injuries once again. When Rose moved to open the window then, Joe objected.

"Pa said we needed to keep it warm in here. It's kinda cool today so that's why I shut the window."

"It still smells in here, Joe. Adam is warm enough. If it gets too cool, we can close it again, but with the slight fever he has, he would probably appreciate some cooler air. I'll sit with him and make sure he doesn't get chilled."

"Are we gonna give him a bath?"

"We should, but we've done enough for now. When Hop Sing is ready to change his bandages, we'll do some bathing then."

When the others returned later frustrated that they had found nothing, Ben was perturbed to find that his instructions for his son's care had been ignored. He confronted Rose as she sat by Adam's side. Even with a whisper, Rose could tell how upset he was. She did her best to calm him by explaining what was done and why, but it was Adam's voice that stopped his tirade. Very softly, in a hoarse voice, Ben heard his son for the first time in four days.

"No, Pa."

Quickly moving to Adam's side, Ben touched his shoulder. "Son, I'm am so glad you're awake. Is there anything you want?"

"More tea."

Ben looked at Rose wondering what he meant. "We gave him some tea earlier. It helped him sleep. I think he found it soothing and wants more."

With an almost imperceptible nod of his head, Adam agreed with her statement. Rose left to ask Hop Sing for more of the tea as Ben continued to sit by his son's side. As Rose walked back from the kitchen, she saw Hoss and Joe standing with Ivy. "He's awake. I don't think he can talk much but saying hello to him might cheer him up some."

With smiles instead of frowns then, the three headed for the bedroom. Adam's eyes were open although with the bruising and swelling, it was hard to tell. He tried to say something but couldn't generate any sound. Rose sat down and leaned close telling him to try again. He did, and she sat up smiling.

"He says he's very happy to see Ivy and me as well as all your ugly faces."

"Nah, Rose, he didn't really say that now did he?" Hoss was skeptical until he saw Adam try to grin. Then he knew he actually did say it. The whole group saw the little grin, and all were relieved. If he could think like that and try to grin, he was going to be fine. No one thought he understood about his leg, but they had not realized that when they were talking in the room sometimes he could hear them even if he couldn't respond. He understood very well, but he was alive and he would be there for his son. It was that which was most important to him. He was also quite happy to see Rose sitting at his side. He had not expected that. Then he tried to talk once more and Rose leaned close. Her close proximity and the smell of her almost made him forget what he had been going to say, but he did manage to say his son's name. Rose looked up at the others and asked where Keilani was.

"Miss Mabel's been taking care of him with her baby. I'll go get him." Hoss headed out to get Keilani, and Rose could see Adam visibly relax knowing his son was all right. Hop Sing brought in the tea, and Rose began spooning it to him again. Soon after they could hear Hoss returning with Keilani as they heard him fussing in Hoss' arms. As soon as he got to his father's bedside though he threw his arms wide. He wanted to go to his father who couldn't hold him of course. Rose reached up for him and because it would get him closer to his father, he willingly left Hoss' arms for Rose's. Rose held him by his waist and let him touch his father's chest. Keilani reached up and put a hand on each of Adam's cheeks and as Rose let him, he kissed his father. Adam bussed his lips lightly and Keilani laughed. Everyone else in the room had tears in their eyes at that.

Pulling Keilani back to her lap, Rose told him that his father had to eat his lunch. He sat then and watched as Rose spooned the rest of the tea. Adam wanted so much to touch his son but found lifting his arm was more than he could manage. Rose and Ben saw the aborted movement of his arm and guessed what he wanted to do. Rose pulled the sheet down and Ben lifted his son's arm. Rose set Keilani next to Adam and Ben lowered Adam's arm over his son's back. Somehow Keilani sensed the gravity of the situation and sat quietly by his father's side content to be next to him finally. Within minutes, Adam's eyes drooped, and he fell into a restful slumber, the best since he was injured. Ben reached down to pick up Keilani who didn't want to leave.

"I'll sit here with him, Ben. If he starts to move around or disturb Adam, I'll pick him up. I think he's good for Adam right where he is for now."

Reluctant at first to accept that, Ben thought about how well Adam looked compared to how he had looked that morning when Ben and the others had left to go searching. He nodded and walked from the room closing the door softly. Rose rubbed Keilani's back to keep him calm until she saw his eyes drooping too. She went to pick him up which he protested until he realized she was not leaving but walking to the other side of the bed. Rose lay Keilani down next to his father, and then rubbed his back in slow soft circles until he fell into slumber. She sat next to him on the bed to do that and to make sure he did not fall out of bed. She saw Adam's eyes open briefly to look at his son and then at her. He smiled a little smile and then his eyes closed again. Rose leaned back on a pillow with her hand on Keilani's back and thought about everything that had happened in the last month. It was distracting to see Adam's bare chest with it curly black hair. She remembered how soft those curls were when she had been soothing him earlier. Now she was having other thoughts.

Doctor Martin arrived a short time later and had to smile as he entered the first floor guest bedroom. Adam was sleeping peacefully with his son snuggled up to his side. Rose sat next to Keilani with her hand still on is back. She smiled in response to the doctor. He signaled for her to walk over to the door so she got up from the bed very carefully so as not to jostle the two sleepers. In a whisper, Paul had a few questions for her. She explained what they had done, and Paul nodded. He liked that the room no longer had that sickroom smell, and that Adam was resting quietly for he had not seen that at all before.

"I don't want to disturb his slumber now. It's probably what he needs most. If I leave salve and bandages, can you and Hop Sing take care of rewrapping his wounds?"

Rose agreed but had a few questions. "What of the injuries to his back? When we put the sheet under him, I could feel the scrapes and such there and there was a lot of heat coming from them."

"I've been worried about those too. There has not been much bleeding, and rolling him on his side was out of the question, so I thought we would wait to care for those. Are you thinking there's some infection developing there?"

"I think we need to find out."

"You're probably correct. Ben has offered dinner. Why don't I have dinner, and then you have dinner. By then, Keilani will be ready to eat, and while someone is feeding him, Hop Sing and perhaps Hoss can help us turn Adam so we can take a look at his back."

Rose readily agreed to that plan so Paul went out to tell the others. Adam was the only one not consulted and didn't like it at all when they began to move him for the pain was fierce. He gasped and then cried out with the agony from his left leg even though they tried to minimize the impact by having Hoss hold that leg. It wasn't good enough, and Adam was gasping with pain so much he was having trouble breathing by the time they got him on his side. Paul decided that he could tolerate some painkiller and administered a dose.

All waited then until Adam's eyes closed. There would still be pain but his conscious mind would be unaware of it. Rose had been correct about his back, and there would have been more intolerable pain, but with the medication, he did not have to endure that as the wounds there were cleaned out and bandaged. Very gently he was lowered again to his back to rest. Those who had helped were exhausted by the ordeal as well. Ben suggested they all go out and have some brandy to which they all readily agreed. Joe agreed to sit by Adam's side and Mabel readied Keilani for bed. The little boy wanted to go to his father's room, so Hoss got his cradle from Mabel's room and put it in there. For the first time since Adam had been hurt, Keilani did not cry himself to sleep.

For the next two weeks, the routine for Adam was about the same every day except he did start feeling better. His father or one of his brothers helped him with his basic needs. Rose and Ivy spent time with him during the day, talking, reading, or helping him visit with his son. His hands were bandaged and his arms hurt, so he needed to be fed. He got more and more ornery as the days passed. He was angry at what he couldn't do but taking it out on the people who did it for him. Roy came to visit and got his statement. Wanted posters went out for John Miller and his two friends for rustling and attempted murder.

Often Adam heard Rose chatting with Joe and heard the two of them laughing. He heard them talk about riding together. It made him happy for the two of them and sad for himself. He began to wonder if there was ever going to be a woman with whom he could share his life. He saw every day how happy Hoss was and Ivy seemed to glow.

The ladies took turns shaving Adam once he was able to sit up in bed resting against pillows. Ben had done the shaving was Adam was lying down but was happy to turn it over to someone else so he could get back to the work he needed to complete. Joe and Hoss were back to doing their normal jobs, and Hoss and Ivy could finally settle in to their life as newlyweds once the fear for Adam was gone. Rose was the one feeling antsy. Adam was polite to her but showed no warmth in his conversations with her. She could have been talking with Ben or Hop Sing with the neutral nature of their discourse.

Three weeks after the attack, Doctor Martin okayed Adam to try to get out of bed and move around on crutches. He was able to do it but ended up with a lot of sore muscles at the end of that first day. Rose had him lay on the bed and she massaged his right leg muscles, and then the muscles of his neck an shoulders. Adam relaxed under her ministrations and thought about how much he loved the feel of her hands on him.

Over the next week, Adam did more and more for himself until he learned to navigate the stairs and moved back into his room. Then except for a few things, he no longer needed help although he had to rely on others for most of Keilani's care. Rose had hoped for a sign from him that he wanted her to stay, but he stayed polite, charming, and neutral. She decided to force the issue. They were sitting on the porch and Rose dropped a bombshell on him.

"You don't need my help any more, and Ivy certainly has things well in hand. I think I'll leave soon, maybe tomorrow."

Almost involuntarily, Adam gulped. He wanted her to be around. Even if he couldn't have her, it would have been most pleasant if she stayed. He worried too about Joe and how he would react.

"What does Joe think about you leaving?"

"I'm sure Joe will want whatever makes me happy. We have become good friends."

At that point, Adam was very confused. He reran some memories in his mind, and began to wonder about Rose's feelings. He wasn't sure he could even bring up a relationship between the two of them. What if he had read everything wrong? He looked at Rose wondering what to say, when she walked over to him, leaned down, and kissed him.

"I love you. You're the one I want. Now you can say yes or no. What's it going to be? I'm going for a ride. Could you try to have your answer by the time I get back?"

Preparing to talk with her more, Adam grabbed his crutches and stood only to be shocked when John Miller and his friends walked around the side of the bunkhouse. One raced to Rose and grabbed her.

"Well, lookee here, boys. We get to eliminate the only witness against us, and have a little fun at the same time."

Inside the house, Ben heard and immediately reacted racing to grab a rifle and head toward the kitchen to warn Hop Sing and Hannibal. He sent Mabel and Ivy upstairs with the babies, handed the rifle to Hannibal, and then went to grab his pistol from the credenza. He walked out the front door with his pistol drawn. John put his pistol up against Adam's jaw.

"Drop it, old man, or I'll kill him right now."

The other two men turned their guns toward Ben also which was what he wanted. It gave Hannibal and Hop Sing time to get an angle on the two who stood by Rose.

"You plan to kill him anyway. What makes you think I want to make it any easier for you?"

"Well, it could just be him and you, or we could take the ladies and kill the darky baby too."

"I don't think that's gonna happen."

The three men were startled to find that Hop Sing and Hannibal were behind them then when Hannibal's deep voice let them know there were two weapons trained on them. The only leverage they had was John's gun at Adam's head at that point. Adam kept his eyes squarely on his father then. When he saw an almost imperceptible nod of his father's head, he suddenly collapsed to the ground. Ben fired hitting John, and the other two men raised their arms in surrender. Hannibal stepped up to take their pistols as Hop Sing kept his shotgun trained on them. John was gasping and reaching for his pistol when Ben kicked it away. Hoss, Joe, and Candy rode into the yard then alerted by a hand who had seen three men approaching the house from the back side. Hoss raced inside to make sure Ivy was all right. Rose ran to Adam's side.

"Are you all right? You didn't hurt anything again, did you?"

Without saying a word, Adam reached up to put his hand behind Rose's neck. He pulled her down to him and kissed her, and she returned that kiss with enthusiasm once she got over the shock. Joe shook his head, and with his father and Candy got rope and tied up the two men who had dropped their weapons. John was bleeding severely from the chest and had already passed out mercifully for him. He would not live long. Hoss came back outside with Ivy to help if they could, and they saw Adam kissing Rose.

"Bout time. Thought he wasn't ever gonna get around to it."

Sitting in the dirt of the yard, Rose cradled Adam's head in her lap.

"You didn't answer me. Are you hurt?"

"Not at all, but I want to talk with you. Can you help me stand?"

Struggling to get Adam to his feet and back on his crutches, Rose was breathing hard and so was he. She thought they would head into the house, but he pointed at the stable. Once they got to the stable, Rose thought perhaps he wanted to kiss her again, but instead he plopped down on a hay bale and gave a deep sigh.

"Will you sit with me? I've got some things to say, and don't look so worried. I want you to know me so that you can make up your mind about what you want."

"I already know what I want."

"Are you sure? You don't know much about my past. I have been a curse to the women I have loved. They had found unhappiness at best, and lost their lives at worst. Sue Ellen Terry was shot by a man jealous of her relationship with me. He intended to kill me but wasn't a very good shot to say the least. Ruth perished in a Shoshoni smallpox epidemic. Alamea died only six months ago."

"You don't know that those women wouldn't have perished anyway."

"No, I don't, but I do know they perished after they knew me. I feel cursed. Other women have walked away which was probably very lucky for them. You could do the same."

"No, I can't. I'm in love with you. I know I am and probably started falling in love with you the moment I met you. Even that sarcasm of yours gets a rise out of me like no other man ever could. I want to spar with you, walk with you, talk with you, and if you ever want to again, kiss you." Rose placed a hand on each cheek and leaned forward to kiss Adam, but he bussed his lips like he did with his son when they were playing. Surprised at first, Rose started laughing then as Adam wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry. It's a conditioned reaction. If you want to try that again, I would appreciate it very much."

Leaning into his embrace then, Rose kissed Adam, and it turned into a long session. Adam's hand caressed her cheek before he trailed his fingers down her neck and across the open shirtfront dress she wore lightly touching the tender skin there. She shivered in his arms making him ask if he should stop.

"No, because it feels so good, but yes, because we probably should stop before this goes any further today."

Liking that she had referred to only stopping today, Adam smiled. It was the most relaxed he had been in a very long time. Rose rested her head on his chest, and they talked of some of their hopes and dreams. Finally, it was just silence as they sat with Adam's arm wrapped around Rose and her arms around his waist. That's how Ben found them when he came out to tell them it was lunchtime. Hours had passed and yet it seemed as if it had only been a short time. Now they would have a lifetime if they could manage to get through a romance and courtship without too many arguments and misunderstandings between two fiery people.

Ben smiled as he noticed Adam accepted help from Rose to stand and get his crutches in place. Adam didn't accept help from many people, and that he did without complaint from Rose indicated that they had taken a big step forward in their relationship. The three walked slowly to the house as Rose and Ben matched Adam's pace. Adam was still facing months of recuperation, but now he had someone with whom he could share his days.

Chapter 22

Telling his family's history took a number of days to complete, but finally Rose had a complete idea of how the family had come to be in Nevada and with three sons who had different mothers and spanned twelve years among them.

"Who helped you? Everyone had your help, but when did you get to cry?"

"I don't cry."

"So you have some amazing power that controls all of your emotions? I don't believe it. Your childhood was very sad. I always felt sorry for myself because my mother killed herself when I was only five, but you lost three mothers even if you can't remember the first one. So how can you not cry?"

Sitting on a ridge above the lake, Rose leaned on Adam's shoulder as she wrapped her arm around his waist. They had been talking for hours, and Adam had explained his childhood to her. Getting him to open up about those years had taken a couple of weeks of cajoling. She knew a lot about his life from college through all the failed romances and the building of the Ponderosa into a large enterprise. She knew about his trip to China to help Hop Sing marry his arranged bride. Adam had told her of his doomed marriage to Alamea. Finally today when he had been able to get rid of the crutch and switch to a cane, he had been in such a better mood, that Rose had suggested a day out touring the Ponderosa to alleviate all the boredom of being confined to the house and yard when he had been limited by being on crutches. Adam had managed to get into the wagon with his injured leg. He had handed the cane up to Rose, and then put his right foot on the step and pulled himself up and used his arms to turn and plop on the seat. It wasn't graceful, but Hoss had said he didn't think he could do it.

It had been five weeks earlier that three rustlers had attacked Adam and tied him by one leg to be dragged by his horse. He was lucky in many ways to be alive. His left leg had been broken in three places. He still couldn't put his full weight on it and leaned heavily on the cane as he walked. He probably should still be using the crutches, and Rose was going to suggest that he should use them outside to give his leg a respite from the pressure. But the good news for Rose was that Adam was in a talking mood and willing to answer her questions. She had learned of Inger and of Marie and of their tragic deaths. Adam told her that the stories were a combination of what he remembered and stories that his father had told him. She had laughed uproariously at some of the stories but none more so than the ill-fated spring picnic and Adam swearing he had not been 'shrinking'.

For most of the day, Adam had been very pleased that Rose did not judge him when he told her things about him and about his father. He hadn't meant to tell her so much, but she asked the right questions every time it seemed to get him to elaborate more on his stories. Now though she wanted to delve into his feelings about the loss of Inger and Marie, and Adam never had come to terms with those losses and didn't like talking about them in the way this conversation had turned. Rose noticed and backed off not pressing Adam any more. She had felt his body tense up with her last questions, and knew that she had learned as much as she was going to learn on this day. In fact she could have written a small book with the stories he had told her so it had been quite a good day. Adam knew her life history, but she had found that her story of her mother kidnapped by Comanches and impregnated, being returned but never accepting what had happened to her, and then her suicide was a tragic but much simpler story to tell than Adam's. His whole family had a complicated history that she was just beginning to thoroughly understand.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard. It has been so fascinating to learn your family history though. I can see now why you three brothers are so different. You were all raised in the same family, but the circumstances of your childhoods were entirely unique. None of you experienced the same things at an early age."

"So did you pick the right brother for you?"

"Oh, yes. I found you arrogant, and snide, and irritating as hell, and all I wanted to do was this." Rose unbuttoned the top two buttons of Adam's shirt and slipped her hand inside to caress his chest. "I saw that chest hair and I wanted to touch it."

"Is that all you wanted to do?" Adam pushed Rose to the grass as he rolled up on his right side. He leaned down to kiss her, and she saw the grimace.

"Well I am hoping of course that the grimace had nothing to do with your kissing me. Why don't you lie back, and I'll come to you?"

Rolling onto his back in defeat, Adam let Rose lean across his chest and kiss him. "It just isn't the same, is it?" Rose stood up and grabbed Adam's cane and handed it to him. "Come with me." She walked with him to the wagon, and helped him sit up against one of the wheels. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down to him wrapping his arms around her and embracing her. She had her arm around his waist again as she lay against his leg and her other arm wrapped around his neck. Adam leaned down and pulled her tightly into him as he kissed her deeply. When they stopped to catch their breath eventually, Rose grinned up at him. "Yes, that's more like it!"

"It's always good to get an endorsement of my kissing."

"Oh, yes. Well there better not be anyone else doing any endorsing or kissing."

"Are you jealous?"

"Of course, you big goof. I didn't come back here and spend five weeks with you so you could go kissing somebody else."

With his voice hoarse with emotion, Adam pulled Rose close to him and whispered to her. "It has been a glorious five weeks too. I'm sorry if I get ornery sometimes, but it's just so hard to sit around and do nothing productive. I feel useless. If it wasn't for you, I would have made everyone's life miserable. I know I'm like that. I just can't seem to help myself."

"Well I'll let you in on a little secret then. You still made people miserable. They're probably having a party today because I got you away from there, and they can all relax."

"Was I really that bad?"

"No, of course not. Not with me around. I was teasing you, you big goof. Can't you tell when I'm teasing?"

"Ah, actually no, sometimes I can't. You have the best poker face other than mine that I have ever seen. We should play poker sometime with Joe and Hoss. You'll drive Joe crazy. Make up a few fake tells. It gets him every time. Oh, do you know how to play poker?"

"A little. I always forget what beats what."

"Well when I was very young and playing with the hands when Pa wasn't around, that actually helped me bluff a few times. I didn't know how good a hand I had, so I just played like it was four of a kind. By the time I learned the order, I was quite good at bluffing."

"I bet you could bluff anytime you wanted to. You have this mask like look sometimes where I can't tell if you're mad, confused, upset, or amused."

"I think I learned how to do that a long time ago. Now, I think we should head home. Keilani will be wondering where we are. He likes to play with Hoss but eventually will wonder why we're not around. Besides it may take me a while to get back up in this wagon."

"Can I drive again?"

"Yes, of course, sweetheart. I found I liked having my hands free while we were riding here."

"You almost made me run off the road!"

"Nah, I waited until you were on a straight stretch of road."

"Well, don't do it again, or you may have a broken arm to go with that broken leg." Her harsh words were belied by a huge grin.

"I bet you always wanted to say that to someone."

"Oh, I got a better one. You better remove that arm from my shoulder before I remove it from yours."

"Where did you learn those things?"

"We had a female cook on the ranch. The guys were always teasing her so she threatened them with bodily injury."

"Was she attractive?"

"If you think three hundred pounds, six feet tall, crooked beak nose, and muscular is attractive, well, yeah. She did have a fun laugh though and had a heart of pure gold. Everybody loved her and nobody loved her. It was sad really. She was kinda lonely I think. She died of a heart attack a few years ago."

"You liked her a lot, didn't you?"

"She was like a member of the family. The same way you think of Hop Sing. You would be very sad if anything happened to him, wouldn't you? By the way, how's the marriage going for him?"

"Very well from what he had told me. I had my doubts that she would accept a house servant, but she has a room in the house with us, eats well, and has no fear that anyone will harm her while she is on the Ponderosa. She likes Hop Sing, and he is very happy to have someone to share his days and nights I think."

"Speaking of sharing days at least, is your father still expecting you to go to Salt Lake City to negotiate those contracts? And if he is, can I go with you?"

"I thought you might want to stay here and plan the wedding."

"What wedding?"

"Our wedding."

"We're getting married?"

"We are if you'll say yes. Rose, will you marry me even if I may never walk normally and may never be able to ride a horse again?"

Rose looked at him to see if he was serious. There was no mask. The yearning was very apparent. She couldn't speak so she grabbed Adam's face and kissed him to let him know that he was all she desired no matter what. When she pulled away a minute later, Adam grinned at her.

"I take it that was a yes? I would like to hear it though."

"Yes, yes, a thousand times yes."

Reaching into his pocket, Adam pulled out a small velvet box. He opened it and pulled out a diamond and emerald ring. Slipping it on Rose's finger, he pulled her to him and kissed her softly. "I will be the best husband I know how to be. Now would you like to ride with me to Salt Lake City as my fiancée?"

"I would love to do that. I can be your assistant. Will they let me sit in on the meetings?"

"They will if I say you're my assistant." Laughing, Adam stood and used his cane to straighten up. "With this leg, they'll believe I need an assistant too. I'll tell Pa we need two tickets and two rooms in each town we stay in."

"We could stay together in one room if you could control yourself."

"Lady, there is no possible way I could sleep next to you and control myself. I can barely control myself now. We need to schedule this wedding soon."

Rose knew exactly what he meant and smiled as she nodded her assent. Meanwhile she couldn't wait to tell her sister Ivy. How funny life works sometimes. Just a few months ago, she and her sister had wondered if they would ever find men they wanted to marry. Now Ivy was already married to Hoss, and soon she would be married to Adam. So instead of marriage taking her sister away from her, it had brought them closer together in a way. They would spend the rest of their lives together, and she couldn't have been happier. Then she had a question.

"How did you get that ring if you were stuck on the ranch for five weeks?"

"Ivy got it for me. She used one of your old rings from your jewelry box for the size and I told her what I wanted. She ordered it and then brought it to me this week."

"What if I said no?"

"I was almost sure you would say yes. If you said no, I would have just given you the ring as a gift. It was made for you and only you."

"I would never have said no. You were in my thoughts and in my dreams from the day I met you I think even if I couldn't say anything to anyone about it. I didn't even tell Ivy."

"I think she knew. She told me that she knew I had caught your eye right from the start. Hoss told me the two of them were betting on how long it would take me to kiss you. He lost the bet. Ivy won. She must know you better than Hoss knows me. You did kiss me first, before I kissed you."

"Well I had to do something to get you to make up your mind."

"I'm glad you did." By then Adam had maneuvered himself into the wagon again and Rose had checked the wagon and harness to be sure everything was ready. She climbed in and gave Adam a stern look. "I'll behave myself, really, I will."

"Well, you don't have to be a perfect gentleman. Just remember that I'm driving."

Adam rested his hand on her hip as he slid close to her. "Is this all right." Adam kept his left leg stretched out and resting as he had on the ride to the lake, but that put his upper body up against Rose.

"Well it is a bit distracting, but I could get used to it." She laughed then, and the two of them talked about their future as she drove back to the ranch house.

As expected, there was a big celebration at the house that evening. Hop Sing had been warned by Adam so that he could have a big dinner ready, and champagne cooling on ice. Ivy already knew what Adam had planned because he had needed her help to get the ring. Hoss and Joe were surprised that this was the day but not that he asked her. Ben was as proud as could be and made several toasts to the betrothed couple.

"Pa, you better hold off on those."

"Why, you wouldn't think of changing your mind, would you. You have the most wonderful woman for you."

"No, but we plan to marry as soon as it can all be arranged, and you're going to need a toast at the wedding."

"Don't you worry, son, don't you worry. I got plenty more where those came from. I've been waiting a long time, a very long time, for you to finally marry someone so I have a good stock of these ready to go. I've been rehearsing for years."

Noticing a slight frown pass across Adam's features, Ben realized he shouldn't have said quite so much about that. Luckily Hop Sing came in with the champagne at that point, and all else was forgotten. After all the dinner and all the celebrating had come to a close, Adam asked Rose to go out on the porch with him. He sat in a chair and sighed deeply.

"Tired? Because if you're too tired, I could go inside and let you rest."

Noticing her impish grin, Adam reached for Rose's hand and pulled her to him until she sat rather ungracefully on his lap. Once she adjusted until she was in her favorite position with her arms around his neck. "You're not getting away that easily. I have my own way of celebrating our betrothal." After brushing his lips across hers gently, Adam eased her lips open with his tongue and kissed her deeply to which she responded passionately. A little too passionately perhaps for Adam was getting uncomfortable. "Maybe we ought to get married before we take that trip to Salt Lake City. It could be our honeymoon, or at least part one of our honeymoon."

"Adam, you're supposed to leave in just over a week."

"Yes, and would that be a problem for you?"

"Yes and no. Do you want a fancy church wedding, or can we get married here?"

"I would like to get married here."

"All right then."

"All right, what?"

"We'll get married here next Saturday, and travel together to Salt Lake City."

That led to another round of kissing until Adam called a halt. It was going to be difficult enough to sleep on this night. "Let's go inside and tell everyone. We've been talking too softly or they would have heard by now. I didn't hear any cheers or whooping so Joe and Hoss can't hear anything standing by that window there."

"I'm surprised Ivy didn't hear. She's can hear a pin drop on carpeting from ten yards away."

"A good thing for me to know. I think we'll want our wedding night someplace more private than the house here."

That made Rose blush. She had never been with a man, and now all she would worry about all week was what was going to happen on her wedding night. Of course Ivy who had been married for about six weeks could not help explain all of that to her. Then a frown passed over her face, and Adam was concerned.

"What's wrong? I can see you're worried about something. If it's the wedding night I mentioned, just know I would never hurt you. We'll take it slow. I've waited a long time for the right woman to take to my bed, and I won't do anything to mar that."

"Well, that is good to know although I trusted you on that already. No, I was wondering what to do about Charles. If we send a wire tomorrow, he could be here. But I don't know if I should be so presumptuous."

"Rose, he loves you even if he's a horse's ass about some things. He should be invited even if you don't see him as your father any more. He has a right to be invited and to be here if he wishes."

"I suppose you're right. Can we send a wire first thing tomorrow?"

Inside Ben was a little surprised they wanted to marry so soon but the others weren't surprised except that it was Adam who was in a hurry. Usually he wanted things all organized and planned out. His brothers could see how important this was to him, and Hoss especially understood for those weeks waiting for his wedding had seemed to take forever. Ben agreed that they could do it as long as the minister had no objections. Adam and Rose planned to go to town early the next morning to check with the minister and then send a telegram before Rose went to the dress shop to find a dress for the wedding. Adam asked if he could sit in on the fittings, and Ben told him to stop teasing his bride.

"Who said I was teasing."

That got a round of laughs especially from Hoss and Joe who couldn't stop laughing it seemed. Finally things seemed to be getting back to normal, except the big question was still whether Adam's leg would ever heal enough for him to ride. It was hard to imagine a world in which Adam did not get up on a horse and race off into the Ponderosa on some task or another, but for now, he was relegated to riding on the buckboard. Even the carriage made it difficult because he couldn't stretch out his leg as he wanted.

As Adam walked up the stairs with Rose, she wrapped an arm around his waist and thought about how in a weeks time, she would know him intimately and he would know her. It made her shiver a little which Adam felt. As they got to her room, he stopped and pulled her into an embrace. He knew no one in the family would interrupt them. They would know that the two of them would say goodnight with a kiss once they were out of sight of the family.

"I felt you shudder back there. What's scaring you so much?"

"Adam, I've talked smartly with you and acted all sophisticated and such, but Adam, I've never been with a man, and you were the first one who ever even put your tongue in my mouth. I had no idea people kissed like that. I'm afraid to disappoint you on our wedding night."

"First of all, I knew that already. I knew by your reactions when I kissed you and held you that you were just getting used to the idea of that. I've told you, I won't hurt you, but I have to tell you it's also a little frightening to me too. I don't want to do anything to hurt you ever, so we'll just take it as slowly as you need to go. So don't worry too much. I'm sure Ivy will tell you that Cartwright men have been taught to be considerate of a lady and treat them with all due respect."

Kissing then, Adam and Rose said good night. Less than a week later, they were in Adam's bedroom which had become their bedroom packing for their trip. Rose couldn't stop hugging and kissing her husband whenever they were alone. Her emotions were high energy for the moment. Getting married, having Charles there to see her married, and having the big party the Ponderosa was famous for hosting, she had the best memories she could have imagined and the wedding night had been spectacular as far as she was concerned. Because Adam found it so difficult to travel yet, the family had left the house for a night in town to give the couple some privacy. Hop Sing had left food for a cold breakfast and the family didn't come back until late afternoon on that Sunday.

Although Rose had been so nervous on her wedding night, she had trouble breathing when she and Adam first entered the bedroom. He had been so patient with her, she still smiled at the thought. He had pulled her onto his lap as he sat on the bed and told her that they would do no more than she was ready to do. He did say though that he very much wanted to see her, all of her, on their wedding night and had begun undoing the buttons on the back of her dress. She had unbuttoned his shirt as he did that. The rest flowed along very naturally until she was resting in his arms over an hour later feeling a bit sore but very relaxed. She had told him she understood now why people wanted to have sex so much. It felt so good while you were doing it, and then you felt good all over afterwards. Adam had laughed then and asked if she was ready to feel so good again, and she laughed too until she realized he was serious. Then she kissed him passionately and after their second bout of lovemaking, she had fallen asleep in his arms only to awaken the next morning to kisses and more loving.

"Is every night going to be like last night, because I'm very tired now? I can't imagine doing that every night."

"No, not every night, but when we have the time, yes as often as you wish."

"Or you wish. Seems to me, you started it each time."

"You can start it anytime you want as well. There's no rule that the man has to be the one to initiate it. Either of us can let the other know we want to express our love."

"That's a good way to describe what we did. Seems more appropriate than to refer to loving as 'it'."

Adam smiled and pulled Rose into an embrace. "Or we can kiss and hug whenever there's an opportunity." Then he kissed her, and soon packing was delayed. The next morning, Ben drove the couple to town so that they could catch the stage. Adam had everything he needed to complete the contracts, and Ben wished them well.

"You don't have to hurry back. Just send a wire when you have the contracts, and we'll start getting ready to make the deliveries."

"Thanks, Pa. See you in a couple of weeks then."

Their stage never even made it to Reno. They were accosted by bandits who made Rose and Adam get out of the stage, and made the driver climb down. They were disarmed, and the silver that was on board was taken. The men loaded their booty onto pack animals, and then hit Adam and the driver dropping them to the ground before they made the horses take off at a dead run pulling the stage with them. The outlaws laughed as they rode away. No one would be looking for them for a very long time.

The driver woke up quickly, but Rose cradled Adam's head in her lap as he drifted in and our of consciousness for a time. Then she and the driver cringed when a group of Shoshoni rode up to them. They had witnessed the robbery and were coming by to offer assistance. A woman with the group walked to where Rose cradled Adam. She knelt down by Adam and looked at the wound on his head and signaled for the man with her to bring her bag. She began bathing the injury when Adam awoke with the pain. Looking at her, he said only one word and left everyone there in shock.

"Ma?"


End file.
